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prow

(prou)

1. Nautical The forward part of a ship's hull; the bow.

2. A projecting forward part, such as the front end of a ski.

[French proue, from Old French, from Italian dialectal prua, from Vulgar Latin *prōda, alteration of Latin prōra, from Greek prōira; see per¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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prow

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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