English
profusion
Profusion comes from Late Latin profusio ‘a pouring out’, from Latin profundō ‘to pour forth, to lavish’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédtireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundō‘to pour out’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō‘pour’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofundō‘to pour forth, to lavish’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprofusio‘a pouring out’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600profusion
- Englishearliest quotation 1918same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédtireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundō‘to pour out’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō‘pour’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprofundō‘to pour forth, to lavish’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprofusio‘a pouring out’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600profusion
- Englishearliest quotation 1918same form
Earliest quotation: 1918, –November, The Land That Time Forgot: “We set the men at work felling trees, selecting…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’
yet, refuse, gut, font, fuse, effusive, 40 more
through Proto-Italic *hundō ‘to pour out’
confused, foundry, fondue, 36 more
through Latin fundō ‘pour’
foundation, founder, fundamental, refund, confusion, funnel, confuse, diffuse, diffusion, confound, infusion, infuse, perfusion, effusion, 42 more
Today it means
noun abundance; the state of being profuse; a cornucopia
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- / profusion