Etymology: Originally < post-classical Latin propositus (see below); subsequently reinforced by Anglo-Norman provolt, provot, provout, Anglo-Norman and Old French provost chief magistrate in an area (c1090 in Old French), chief dignitary of a collegiate church (c1174), the archangel Michael as leader of the heavenly host (c1174), commander of a legion (1272 or earlier in Anglo-Norman), reeve, steward (a1377 or earlier), overseer (14th cent. or earlier) < post-classical Latin propositus prior or abbot (6th cent.; from 8th cent. in British sources), reeve of a manor (from 9th cent. in British sources), reeve of a borough (c1280 in a British source), head of a college or university (1457 in a British source in propositus collegii ), alteration (with prefix substitution: see pro- prefix¹) of classical Latin praepositus prepositus n. Old English had also prafost (directly < classical Latin praepositus prepositus n.), used interchangeably with profost (it is probably only accidental that the former is attested, but the latter is not, in sense 4a). Compare Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French prevost prévôt n. Compare later prévôt n. and prepositus n.Compare Old Frisian provest , proust , prôst (West Frisian proast ), Middle Dutch provest , provoost , proost (Dutch proost ), Middle Low German provest , prōpst , prōst , Old High German probost , probist , provost (Middle High German probest , probst , German Propst , now only in ecclesiastical sense), apparently all in secular and ecclesiastical senses; also Old Icelandic prófastr , Old Swedish provaster , proster (Swedish prost ), Old Danish prouest (Danish provst , †provest ), all in ecclesiastical senses. It is not clear whether Old English profost was historically connected with any of these, except as representing the same Latin word; with Old English prafost compare Middle Dutch (eastern) pravest , praest , praist , Middle Low German pravest , prawest , prāpst , prāst . The length of the vowel of the first syllable in Old English can only be determined by inference; it is generally regarded as being short (see A. Pogatscher Zur Lautlehre der griechischen, lateinischen und romanischen Lehnworte im Altenglischen (1888) §107, A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §508); the o in Frisian, Dutch, and German appears also originally to have been short. With the French forms compare Old Occitan prebost (also as probost (1340)), Catalan prebost (late 13th cent.), Spanish preboste (13th cent.), Portuguese preboste (15th cent.), Italian prevosto (14th cent.; also as provosto (1598 in Florio as prouosto )). In sense 1b arising from a mistranslation of Middle French provoire priest (c1100 in Anglo-Norman). In sense 1c after German propst, Danish provst, etc. In sense 4, formerly used as a translation of various Latin titles, as praepositus prepositus n., praetor praetor n., proconsul proconsul n.¹, procurator procurator n.¹, etc. With sense 6a compare post-classical Latin prepositus (14th cent. in a British source in this sense). With sense 7 compare French prévôt de salle (a1620 in this sense as prevost de salle ; compare prévôt n.).

Etymology: < provost n. Compare slightly earlier provosting n.