Etymograph

English

progression

Progression comes from Latin prōgredior ‘to make progress, advance, develop, proceed,…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰredʰ-1reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgradior1‘to advance, proceed, go, move’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōgredior1‘to make progress, advance, develop, proceed, go on’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōgressiō2
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400progression2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500progressioun2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2003progression2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin progressio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English progression
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2003, T.H. Jafar et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 139: “The lowest risk for kidney disease progression seemed to…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰredʰ-Wiktionary, Latin progressioreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgradiorWiktionary, Latin progressio‘to advance, proceed, go, move’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōgrediorWiktionary, Latin progressio‘to make progress, advance, develop, proceed, go on’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōgressiōWiktionary, English progression
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400progressionWiktionary, English progression
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500progressiounWiktionary, English progression
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2003progressionWiktionary, English progression. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2003, T.H. Jafar et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 139: “The lowest risk for kidney disease progression seemed to…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-

degree, graduate, 30 more

through Latin gradior ‘to advance, proceed, go, move’

congress, ingredient, gradient, aggression, 28 more

Today it means

noun The act of moving from one thing to another.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “progression”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin progressio. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- / progression

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