Meanings
- obsoleteA familiar salutation or welcome offered by a host before a meal or drinks are served.
Gloria deo, sirs proface, Attend me now whilst I say grace.
1602, Thomas Heywood, A pleasant conceited comedie, wherein is shewed, how a man may chuse a good wife from a bad, London: Mathew Lawe2 more examples
Sweet sir, sit; I’ll be with you anon; most sweet sir, Master Page, good Master Page, sit. Proface! What you want in meat, we’ll have in drink.
c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]Thankes be giuen for flesh and fishes, With this choice of tempting dishes: To which proface: with blythe lookes sit yee, Rush bids this Couent, much good do’t yee.
1612, Thomas Dekker, If it be not good, the Diuel is in it, London: John Trundle
Origin
- Middle Frenchbon prou vous fasse“may [it] do you much good”
- Englishproface
From Middle French bon prou vous fasse (“may [it] do you much good”).
More words from Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
proface. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proface
“proface.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proface. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “proface,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proface.
Source: proface on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.