English
prod
Prod comes from Middle English brodden ‘to goad, incite, urge’, from Old Norse broddr ‘shaft, spike, thorn’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bruzdaz1‘point, spike, thorn’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350broddr1‘shaft, spike, thorn’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brod1‘goad, nail’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500brodden1‘to goad, incite, urge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1983prod1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English prod
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Popular Mechanics:: “The 125-pound prod (bow) drives bolt at 250 feet…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bruzdazWiktionary, English prod‘point, spike, thorn’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350broddrWiktionary, English prod‘shaft, spike, thorn’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brodWiktionary, English prod‘goad, nail’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500broddenWiktionary, English prod‘to goad, incite, urge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1983prodWiktionary, English prod. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Popular Mechanics:: “The 125-pound prod (bow) drives bolt at 250 feet…”
The story
Alteration of earlier brod (perhaps through influence of poke; compare prog), from Middle English brodden (‘to goad, incite, urge; to sprout’), from brod (‘goad, nail; shoot, sprout’), from Old Norse broddr (‘shaft, spike, thorn’), from Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- ‘top, point’
far, brush, beard, braid, bristle, fash, borscht, farro, 16 more
through Old Norse broddr ‘shaft, spike, thorn’
Today it means
verb To poke, to push, to touch.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *bruzdaz / prod