professional
Meaning
relating to a job that needs special education and training
having the qualities that you connect with trained and skilled people, such as effectiveness, skill, organization, and seriousness of manner
a person who has a job that needs a high level of education and training
a person who is very skilled and experienced in a particular activity or sport, especially one who is paid for it
Structure
Usage
She sought professional advice from a lawyer.
His approach to the project was highly professional.
He turned professional after winning the amateur championship.
Etymology
The word 'professional' originates from the Latin verb profitēri, meaning "to declare publicly, to profess." This verb is composed of pro- ("forth") and fatēri ("to acknowledge"). From this derived the Latin noun professio, signifying a public declaration or avowal, which in Medieval Latin came to denote the vow taken upon entering a religious order. By the 16th century, the term evolved to mean any occupation one publicly declares expertise in, particularly those requiring advanced learning, such as law, medicine, and theology. The adjective 'professional' emerged in the 18th century, extending from the noun 'profession' to describe the qualities, standards, and conduct associated with such skilled occupations, thus completing the journey from a public avowal to a marker of trained competence and ethical demeanor.
Analysis
- pro- (Latin): A prefix meaning "forth, forward, before the public." - fess (Latin): From the root fateri, meaning "to acknowledge, confess, declare openly." - -ion (Latin): A noun-forming suffix indicating an action or process. - -al (Latin): An adjective-forming suffix meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by."