Purpose

How to spell purpose

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce purpose

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does purpose mean?

1. nounThe reason for which something is done or exists, or the aim a person sets out to achieve.

Purpose in a sentence

• The main purpose of the meeting was to agree the budget.

• She returned to work with a renewed sense of purpose.

Where does purpose come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1300s from the Old French porpos or purpos, a noun meaning 'aim' or 'intention'. That noun grew from the verb porposer, 'to intend' or 'to propose', which was formed from por- (a form of the Latin pro, meaning 'forth' or 'forward') and poser, 'to place or put'. The underlying idea was of something deliberately set or put forward in the mind, which neatly explains the modern sense of an aim one fixes on. The same poser/ponere family of 'placing' sits behind a crowd of English relatives such as 'propose', 'compose', 'expose' and 'position'. The spelling trap is the first unstressed syllable: it is 'pur' (echoing pro/por), not 'per', and the word ends in the soft '-ose', not '-ous' or '-us'.

How the word is built

• pur- (forth, from Latin pro: forward)
• pose (to place or put, from Latin ponere: to put)