prophet

Where does the word "prophet" come from? It comes from Greek prophētēs, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Prophet’s story begins in Greek: prophētēs meant “spokesman of a god.” Greek, 'pro-', before, plus 'phanai', to speak. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as prophete. Came via Latin 'propheta'. It reached English by 1200s as prophet. 'prophet of doom' dates from the 1900s. Today, prophet means a person who predicts the future.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient prophētēs "spokesman of a god", Greek, 'pro-', before, plus 'phanai', to speak.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval prophete "prophet", came via Latin 'propheta'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s prophet "prophet", 'prophet of doom' dates from the 1900s.