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Today it means

proceed

to continue with or begin a course of action after a pause

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Where does the word "proceed" come from? It comes from Latin procedere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "proceed" come from? It comes from Latin procedere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Proceed’s story begins in Latin: procedere meant “to go forward.” To go forward, from pro- (forward) and cedere (to go, to yield). It reached English by 1300s as proceed. Settled as the English word for continuing on a course of action. Today, proceed means to continue with or begin a course of action after a pause.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient procedere "to go forward", to go forward, from pro- (forward) and cedere (to go, to yield).
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s proceed "to continue with a course of action", settled as the English word for continuing on a course of action.

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