Proposal
nounA plan or suggestion formally put forward for consideration.
How to spell proposal
8 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce proposal
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does proposal mean?
- nounA plan or suggestion formally put forward for consideration.
- nounAn offer of marriage made to another person.
Proposal in a sentence
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The committee rejected the budget proposal after a long debate.
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He planned a romantic proposal at the restaurant where they first met.
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She submitted a detailed proposal for the new recycling scheme.
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She said yes the moment he finished his proposal.
Where does proposal come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word descends from the Latin verb proponere, meaning 'to put forward' or 'to set out in view', formed from pro 'forward' and ponere 'to place or put'. English already had the verb 'propose', borrowed through Old French proposer in the 1300s, and 'proposal' was then built on it within English by adding the noun-forming suffix -al, appearing in the 1600s to name the thing put forward. The same ponere root sits inside a large family of English words, including 'position', 'compose', 'deposit', and 'opponent', all sharing the idea of placing or setting. The sense of an offer of marriage grew naturally from the broader meaning of putting a suggestion before someone for their acceptance. The spelling keeps the single 's' that English inherited from the Latin verb, which is the usual point at which writers slip and double it.
How the word is built
- pro- (forward)
- pos (from ponere: to place, put)
- -al (noun suffix)
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