prophet

Definitions

pro- (forth, before) + phe (speak) = 'one who speaks forth.' This is the speaking branch of the root, worn from phēmi to -phe-. Crucially, a prophet is first a *spokesperson* (speaking forth on a god's behalf), and only secondarily a fortune-teller — the 'predict the future' sense grew out of 'declare what is hidden.'

Why It Means This

The two senses of pro- pull the meaning two ways. If pro- means 'forth,' a prophet speaks out for a god — a spokesperson. If pro- means 'before,' a prophet speaks beforehand — a predictor. English keeps both: a religious prophet (Old Testament) and a secular one ('a prophet of doom'). Either way, the core is speaking, not seeing — which is why the root here belongs to the 'speak' branch, not the 'appear' branch.

Common Collocations

• 1.false prophet假先知
• 2.prophet of doom末日预言者
• 3.minor prophet小先知
• 4.prophet of gloom悲观的预言者

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The prophet warned the people to change their ways.

• 2.

  He was a prophet of the digital age, predicting it decades early.

• 3.

  As the saying goes, no prophet is honored in his own land.

Easily Confused

prophet vs profit — Homophones, unrelated. prophet speaks/predicts (this root). profit is financial gain. And within the family: prophecy (noun, /-see/) is the prediction; prophesy (verb, /-sigh/) is the act of making it.