prophet

英文词源

prophet

prophet: [12] A prophet is etymologically someone who ‘speaks for’ another. The word comes via Old French prophete and Latin prophēta from Greek prophétēs, a compound noun formed from the prefix pro- ‘for’ and -phētēs ‘speaker’ (a derivative of phánai ‘speak’, which goes back to the same Indo-European base, *bha- ‘speak’, as produced English fable, fate, etc).

It meant literally ‘spokesman’, and was frequently used specifically for ‘one who interprets the will of the gods to humans’. The Greek translators of the Bible adopted it into Christian usage. Prophecy [13] comes ultimately from the Greek derivative prophētíā.
=> fable, fame, fate

prophet (n.)

late 12c., "person who speaks for God; one who foretells, inspired preacher," from Old French prophete, profete "prophet, soothsayer" (11c., Modern French prophète) and directly from Latin propheta, from Greek prophetes (Doric prophatas) "an interpreter, spokesman," especially of the gods, "inspired preacher or teacher," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + root of phanai "to speak," from PIE *bha- (2) "speak" (see fame (n.)).

The Greek word was used in Septuagint for Hebrew nabj "soothsayer." Early Latin writers translated Greek prophetes with Latin vates, but the Latinized form propheta predominated in post-Classical times, chiefly due to Christian writers, probably because of pagan associations of vates. In English, meaning "prophetic writer of the Old Testament" is from late 14c. Non-religious sense is from 1848; used of Muhammad from 1610s (translating Arabic al-nabiy, and sometimes also al-rasul, properly "the messenger"). The Latin word is glossed in Old English by witga.