Pronoun

How to spell pronoun

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pronoun

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pronoun mean?

1. nounA word such as 'she', 'it', or 'they' that takes the place of a noun in a sentence.

Pronoun in a sentence

• The editor flagged every pronoun that lacked a clear antecedent.

• Choosing the right pronoun kept the report from repeating the manager's name in every line.

Where does pronoun come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin pronomen, a grammatical term coined by Roman scholars to translate a Greek idea about words that stand in for a name. It joins pro, meaning 'in place of' or 'for', with nomen, meaning 'name' or 'noun', so the literal sense is 'a word used in place of a name'. English adopted it in the sixteenth century, partly through the French pronom, but reshaped the ending to match the already-borrowed word noun. The spelling preserves both halves intact, which is why the central 'o' of pro sits right against the 'n' of noun, giving the slightly awkward 'pronoun' rather than anything smoother. The same nomen root still surfaces in nominate, nominal, and even the everyday word noun itself.

How the word is built

• pro- (in place of, for)
• noun (name word)