Etymologically
Log in

profiter

Etymology and origin of the French word profiter

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1120, Cambridge Psalter (prufiter)
Ultimate origin
Latin (prōficiō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁɔ.fi.te/[1]

Forms

profiter[1] Old French prufiter (about 1120), pourfiter, profiter, Middle French prouffiter.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is from French profit + -er, from the noun profit.[5][6][3][1] “Profit”, in Old French mostly “pourfit” and remade after Latin, is from Latin prōfectus (“progress, advance”), from prōficiō (“to make progress; to be useful”).[3]

Compare Old Occitan profechar and Italian profittare.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) uses prufiter intransitively for prospering, succeeding in one's undertakings.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1170 (Livre des Rois) it meant to bring advantage to someone, and in 1213 of a thing, to produce a gain; in 1298 to make progress, and Rabelais (1532) uses it of a child growing and thriving: Pantagruel... prouffictoyt à veue d'œil.[5][4] Food that profite is nourishing (La Fontaine, 1668).[5]

The construction profiter de “to take advantage of” appears in the early 14th century (propheter, 1307) and became the main use: profiter de l'occasion, profiter de la vie, profiter de qqn, “to exploit someone”, is from 1909.[5][2][7] The derivative profiteur dates from the late 19th century.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Prufiter “to prosper”, Cambridge Psalter.[2]
  • c. 1170 – To benefit (someone), Livre des Rois.[5]
  • 1307 – Propheter “to make one's profit”.[5]
  • 1532 – To grow, thrive, Rabelais.[5]
  • 1668 – Of nourishing food, La Fontaine.[5]
  • 1909 – Profiter de qqn.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Profiter de: to take advantage of, make the most of: profiter de l'occasion, profiter du soleil, profiter de la vie.[7][1]
  2. Profiter de qqn: to take advantage of, exploit someone.[5]
  3. Profiter à: to benefit, be profitable to: à qui profite le crime ?.[1][2]
  4. (familiar) To thrive, grow, (of clothes) to wear well.[1][5]

Word family

  • profitable
  • profiteur

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Profiter.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/profiter. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·