profit
Old Frenchgain, benefit, advantage
Variants
profitprof
About This Root
From Old French profit, from Latin profectus (advance, progress), past participle of proficere (to make progress), from pro- (forward) + facere (to do). The core meaning of 'making progress' narrowed to financial gain in English: profit, profitable, profiteer. Profitless describes effort without return.