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English word origin

Etymology of prom

Clipping of promenade.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A promenade concert. · A promenade (place where one takes a leisurely walk, especially by the seaside). · A formal ball held at a high school or college on special occasions; e.g., near the end of the academic year.

verb

To attend a prom.

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

Clipping of promenade.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "promenade"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of promenade"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "promenade",
      "promenade#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A promenade concert.",
        "A promenade (place where one takes a leisurely walk, especially by the seaside).",
        "A formal ball held at a high school or college on special occasions; e.g., near the end of the academic year."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "165381b2adb53cd7e2e4ad20cd67fe00fd962981ec08dba0b2bc1fa9933f9f1b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7ba98a23b9572aa56bf90437e5f57c0a287e558587dbb98aa77613a908a1e5c4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 126095
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To attend a prom."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "d9e02fd66b85fde1dcd13a69a5ac365eaebff8661140535dd2624d1af3b52aed",
      "rawRecordSha256": "194a9e963bea510b0d4bf233f152e2a6ec26a0cc429592ba877ead4a01d03b65",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 126096
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 prom →

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-cHJvbQ