French

Adjective

progressif m ‎(feminine singular progressive, masculine plural progressifs, feminine plural progressives)

1. progressive

Derived terms

• progressivement

Related terms

• progrès
• progresser

Middle French

Etymology

First known attestation circa 1372 by Jean Corbichon (also known as Corbechon). Borrowing from Latin prōgressīvus. See below.

Adjective

progressif m ‎(feminine singular progressive, masculine plural progressifs, feminine plural progressives)

1. progressive (favoring or promoting progress)
   • circa 1372, Jean Corbichon, Le Livre de Propriété des Choses

     Vertu alant, que les clercs appellent vertu progressive

Usage notes

• Precise meaning is uncertain as the Corbichon citation is the only one in the Middle French period.
• Unlikely to be the etymon of French progressif because the next know attestation of progressif is in 1671, 300 years later. French progressif is a separate borrowing from Latin.

Reklated terms

• progrés
• progression

References

• progressif on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) (in French)
• (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (progressif, supplement)