profitable English · revision 10435

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1300|origins=fro profitable}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈpɹɒf.ɪ.tə.bl̩/ ''(UK)''; /ˈpɹɑ.fɪ.tə.bl̩/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English, [[bor|fro|profitable]], porfitable,^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998)^(SOED 2002) from profiter, to profit (see [[profit]]), with the suffix [[-able]],^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline) or formed in English from the verb profit.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Yielding spiritual or moral benefit, useful: about 1300 in Etymonline, about 1325 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Advantageous, expedient, helpful is from the mid-14th century.^(Etymonline) The specific sense, money-making, lucrative, is attested from 1758.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) As an adverb, profitably, it was used rarely from 1654.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1300 – beneficial.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-14th century – advantageous.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1758 – lucrative.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Yielding financial profit; [[lucrative]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Beneficial or useful; advantageous.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[profitability]]

+ * [[profitably]]

+ * [[profitableness]]

+ * [[subprofitable]]

+ * [[unprofitable]]

+ * [[nonprofitable]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[profit]]

+ * [[nonprofit]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}