*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pur-

From Middle English pur-, from Anglo-Norman pur- (compare modern French pour), from Latin prō- (“forward direction, forward movement”). Doublet of pro-.

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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 ↗
prefix

In words borrowed through Anglo-Norman: involving forward movement or completeness.

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

From Middle English pur-, from Anglo-Norman pur- (compare modern French pour), from Latin prō- (“forward direction, forward movement”). Doublet of pro-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionpur-enm
  • Derivation mentionprō-la · forward direction, forward movement
  • Doublet mentionpro-en
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pur-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pur-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "pur-"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman pur-"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "pour"
      },
      "expansion": "French pour"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prō-",
        "t": "forward direction, forward movement"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin prō- (“forward direction, forward movement”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pro-"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of pro-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pur-",
      "pur-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pur-",
      "pur-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "pour",
      "pour#French"
    ],
    [
      "prō-",
      "pro-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pro-",
      "pro-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "In words borrowed through Anglo-Norman: involving forward movement or completeness."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "5b65776b0b1455366247ae7871c132f40c960716b136fa670d8f638d60ad0808",
      "rawRecordSha256": "476f675e5b60a47434674d301ada8286cc1b2a41a8d73b1310468a89c30178ac",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5090905
    }
  ],
  "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 pur- →

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-cHVyLQ