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pro·noun

(prōnoun′)

n. Abbr. pron. or pr.

1. The part of speech that substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and designates persons or things asked for, previously specified, or understood from the context.

2. Any of the words within this part of speech, such as he or whom.

[Late Middle English pronoun, pronoune, partial translation of Latin prōnōmen (translation of Greek antōnumiā, interchange of names, pronoun) : prō-, pro- + nōmen, name, noun.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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