English word origin

Etymology of Prue

A diminutive of Prudence.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A diminutive of Prudence.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Prudence",
      "Prudence#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1844630
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname. · A town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Two possible origins: * A nickname for a valiant warrior, from Middle English prou (“brave, valiant”), itself from Old French proux. * An Americanized spelling of French Prou, Prouix, both related to the above. Compare Prowse.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionprouenm
Derivation mentionpreufro
Derivation mentionProufr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "prou",
        "4": "",
        "5": "brave, valiant"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English prou (“brave, valiant”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "preu",
        "4": "proux"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French proux"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Prou"
      },
      "expansion": "French Prou"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "prou",
      "prou#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "proux",
      "preu#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "Prou",
      "Prou#French"
    ],
    [
      "Prouix",
      "Prouix#English"
    ],
    [
      "Prowse",
      "Prowse#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname.",
        "A town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States."
      ],
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        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Prue →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-UHJ1ZQ