Etymologically
Log in

prosum

This is an old revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 19:22. It may differ significantly from the current version. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Current version Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈproː.sũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈprɔː.s̬um][1]

Forms

prōsum (present infinitive prōdesse, perfect active prōfuī, future active participle prōfutūrus); irregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, no gerund[1] A future prōde erit is found in the land surveyor Agennius.[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin prō- + sum (“to be”).[2][3][1] Forms such as ⟨prōdesse⟩ show the variant ⟨prōd-⟩ of the prefix, which de Vaan takes to be a newer form built after ⟨red-⟩; he traces sum to Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ennius has the line quī ipse sibi sapiēns prōdesse nōn quit, nēquīquam sapit, “a wise man who cannot help himself is wise in vain”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It is used of people “to be of use, help” and of things “to be helpful, beneficial”, with the dative of the person helped.[2][3] Cato uses it of remedies, “to be good for”, and the jurists of what tells in someone's favour.[2] Church Latin glosses it “to be profitable, useful”.[5]

The subjunctive prōsit “may it benefit (you)” became a toast, famous among German students, recorded in English from 1846.[6]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius: quī ipse sibi sapiēns prōdesse nōn quit.[2][7]
  • 230/220–168 BC – Caecilius: serit arborēs, quae saeclō prōsint alterī, “he plants trees to benefit another generation”.[2][7]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato prescribes a cup on an empty stomach: prōderit, “it will do good”.[2][7]
  • 1846 – Prosit recorded as a toast in English.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To be of use, do good, help, benefit (with the dative).[2][3][1][5]
  2. To be beneficial, advantageous (of things).[2]
  3. To be good for (an illness).[2][1]
  4. (with ad) To tell in one's favour.[2]

Word family

  • prōde

Usage notes

A rare adverb prōsum is a form of prōrsum “straight on”; the OLD and the TLL list it separately.[2][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften