English
program
Program comes from Late Latin programma ‘a proclamation, edict’, and goes back to Ancient Greek προγράφω ‘to set forth as a public notice’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρογράφω1prográphō‘to set forth as a public notice’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόγραμμα1prógramma‘a written public notice’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprogramma1‘a proclamation’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentprogramme1
- Englishearliest quotation 1956program1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English program
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, United States. Congress. Senate, Hearings: “We program for special audience groups, too, as shown…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρογράφωWiktionary, English programprográphō‘to set forth as a public notice’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόγραμμαWiktionary, English programprógramma‘a written public notice’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprogrammaWiktionary, English program‘a proclamation’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentprogrammeWiktionary, English program
- Englishearliest quotation 1956programWiktionary, English program. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, United States. Congress. Senate, Hearings: “We program for special audience groups, too, as shown…”
A compound of πρό ‘before’ + γράφω ‘to write’
Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
Proto-Hellenic *pró
Ancient Greek πρό ‘before’
Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- ‘to carve’
Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō ‘to scratch, cut or carve into’
Ancient Greek γράφω ‘to write’
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Today it means
noun A set of structured activities; a plan of action.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “program”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek προγράφω / program