all-pro

The term "all-pro" is a modern American English compound, originating in the mid-20th century lexicon of professional team sports, particularly American football. It is formed by combining "all," from the Old English root for "entire" or "the whole," with the clipped form "pro," short for "professional." Literally, it denotes a player selected from among all the professionals in a league for a hypothetical best-of-the-best team. The logic of the term has extended beyond sports, where "all-pro" now functions as an adjective describing anything of the highest, professional-grade quality, mirroring the prestige of the athletic honor.

Structure: all (entire) + pro (professional) - all: From Old English eall, meaning "entire, whole, every." It functions as a combining form meaning "completely" or "involving all." - pro: A clipping of the word professional. It functions as a noun in this compound, referring to a professional athlete.