Emily Dickinson Lexicon

proclamation, n. [see proclaim, v.]

Announcement; bulletin; notice; decree; pronouncement; official declaration.

procure (-d, procuring, -s), v. [Fr. < L prōcūrāre, take for, take care of, attend to, manage < prō-, before + cūrāre, care for, cure.] (webplay: draw, love).

1. Obtain; get; gain; attain; secure; acquire; take; seize; win possession of.
2. Cause; occasion; bring about; inflict with.
3. [Fig.] insure; guarantee; persuade; force; compel; obligate; require.

prodigal, n. [Fr. < late L. *prōdigāl-is < prōdig-us, wasteful, lavish < prō-, before + ag-ěre, drive.] (webplay: Nature is prodigal, spendthrift).

Waster; squanderer; spendthrift; debauchee; recklessly extravagant consumer.

prodigious, adv. [L. prōdigiōs-us, marvelous, prodigious.] (webplay: mountain).

Amazingly; astonishingly; momentously; ominously; like a monster; in the manner of a giant.

produce, v. [L. prōdūc-ěre, lead, bring forth, extend, promote, produce < prō-, before + dūc-ěre, lead.] (webplay: food).

Create; make; yield; generate; furnish; bring forth; result in; make available.

product (-s), n. [L. prōduct-um, thing produced or brought forth; see produce, v.] (webplay: farm).

1. Result; yield; harvest; fruit.
2. Item; thing; article; good; artifact; invention; creation.
3. [Fig.] emotion; feeling; sensation.

profane (-d, -s), v. [ME < L. profān-āre, to render unholy, desecrate, violate, disclose < profān-us, before the temple, not sacred, common < prō, before (outside) + fān-um, temple.] (webplay: common, joys, name, place, words).

1. Disturb; violate; spoil; mar; ruin; contaminate; corrupt; defile; pollute; blaspheme.
2. Degrade; demean; lessen; depreciate; diminish the value of; decrease respect for.

proffer (-ed), v. [ME < AFr < L. prō-, before + offere, offer.]

Offer; furnish; extent; give; present; provide; supply; make available.

profile, n. [It. profilo, border, drawing of a figure < L. prō-, before + fīl-um, thread.] (webplay: face).

1. Outline; silhouette; sketch; drawing.
2. Face; countenance; physiognomy; visage; appearance; side view of facial features.
3. [Fig.] hint; mention; slight reference; mere implication.

profound (-er), adj. [OFr < L. profund-us, deep, high, vast, obscure, profound < prō-, before + fundus, bottom.] (webplay: learning, scholar, science, sea, wise).

1. Deep; unfathomable; incomprehensible; endless; eternal; [fig.] colossal; enormous; gigantic; immense.
2. Enormously important; tremendously vital; extremely critical.