profit

/pˈɹɒfət/PRO-fuht

/pˈɹɑfət/PRAH-fuht

Meaningprogress

Common meaning: gain

proforward, forSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 469 · scan
fitto make; to cause to happenLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 716 · scan

‘forward, for’ + ‘to make’ → profit

Journey through time

pro — Latin pro- “forward, for” (path traced)
fit — Latin faciō, fēcī, factum “to make; to cause to happen” (path traced)

Parts join in Latin as profectus.

Latinpro- + facere‘forward, for + to make; to cause to happen’source
Latinprofectussource
Frenchprofit‘profit’source
Middle Englishprofitsource
Englishprofit‘gain’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin profectus, which Skeat analyses as pro- ‘forward, for’ + facere ‘to make; to cause to happen’.

Roots

faciō, fēcī, factum Latin “to make; to cause to happen”
profectus Latin “progress”

Related words

artifact artificial benefactor benefit counterfeit effect facility fact factor factory forfeit interface

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