Etymology

prowess

prow·ess
P3R1O1W4E1S1S1

Today it means: Skillfulness or extraordinary ability in a particular area of expertise; dexterity, mastery, or proficiency. Full definition →

Middle English prowesse ← Old French proeche
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Old French · derived frompreu
  2. Old French · derived fromproeche
  3. Middle English · inherited fromprowesse
  4. English todayprowess

From Middle English prowesse, prouwesse, proues, prouesce, prouesse (“bravery in battle; act of bravery; excellence; nobility of character; intelligence”), from Old French proeche, proesce, proeësche (“goodness; excellence; bravery”), from Old French preu, prou, prouz, proz, pruz (“good; excellent; brave”). Compare English proud.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.