progress

▪ I. progress, n.
    (ˈprəʊgrɪs, ˈprɒgrɪs, -grɛs)
    Forms: 5–7 progresse, 6 progres, (prograsse, 7 prograce), 7– progress.
    [In 15th c. progresse, app. a. obs. F. progresse (Lett. of Louis XII, 1513 in Godef.), repr. a Romanic *progressa, fem. n. from progressus, -a, -um, pa. pple. of prōgredī (see progredient). In Fr. and Eng. the word subsequently became progrès, progress, by conformation to L. progressus a going forward, advance, progress. Cf. egress, ingress, regress.
    a 1892 Tennyson in Ld. Tennyson Mem. (1897) II. 35 Someone spoke of Diplŏmăcy and Prŏgress. ‘Oh!’, said my father, ‘why do you pronounce the word like that? pray give the ō long.’]
    1. a. The action of stepping or marching forward or onward; onward march; journeying, travelling, travel; a journey, an expedition. Now rare.

c 1475 Partenay 3199 Off me the werre the Giaunt doth desire, Anon shall I go hym Assail quikly. To thys forth⁓progresse Geffray made redy. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. xi. 20 So forth they both yfere make their progresse. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle vi. 2599 It was my fortune with..others..One summers day a progresse for to goe Into the countrie. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. ii. ii. iv. (1651) 269 The most pleasant of all outward pastimes, is..to make a petty progress, a merry journey. 1678 Bunyan (title) The Pilgrim's Progress from this world, to that which is to come. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 160 The Officers and People made a Progress round the Island. 1838 Thirlwall Greece V. xl. 123 Their progress through the Persian provinces was a kind of triumph.

    † b. transf. A region or distance traversed.

1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 219 His dominion..stretcheth from the promontorie Bayador to Tanger, and from the Atlantike Ocean to the riuer Muluia. In which progresse is conteined the best portion of all Afrike.

    2. spec. a. A state journey made by a royal or noble personage, or by a church dignitary; a visit of state; also, the official tour made by judges and others, a circuit; an official visitation of its estates by a college. Now somewhat archaic.

1461 Rolls of Parlt. V. 475/2 The Kyng..beyng in his progresse in the seid Counte. 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII, c. 7 §1 The justices of assises in ther cyrcuyte or progresse in that shyre. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 597 In the time of King Henry the sixt..as he roade in Progresse. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 132 Synodal Judges, going Progress yearly under pretext of Visitation. 1795 Order of Audit Magd. Coll. Oxf. 18 Feb., That Bills on Country Banks be accepted on the Progresses, but that the Bursars be desired to negotiate them as soon as possible. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 99 Comprehended in six circuits, or annual progress of the judges. 1811 Order Magd. Coll. 4 June, That the Norfolk Progress do take place this year and at the expiration of three years from this time. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 593 He was President of Wales and lord lieutenant of four English counties. His official tours..were scarcely inferior in pomp to royal progresses. 1901 Rashdall & Rait New College 251 New College is one of the few Colleges in which an annual ‘Progress’ still takes place. The Warden (or Sub-warden) accompanied by a Fellow known as ‘Out-rider’..and the Steward, visit the farms on some part of the College estates.

    † b. A state procession. Obs.

1533 Cranmer in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. II. 37 Whyche said Progresse..extendid half a myle in leyngthe by estimacion. 1613 Hayward Norm. Kings Pref., At his returne from the Progresse to his house at S. James, these pieces were delivered unto him. 1859 Jephson Brittany iii. 35 Where the Emperor was about to expose himself in a public hall and progress.

    3. a. Onward movement in space; course, way.

1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 340 Vnlesse thou let his siluer Water keepe A peacefull progresse to the Ocean. 1601 ― Jul. C. ii. i. 2, I cannot, by the progresse of the Starres, Giue guesse how neere to day. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 175 For see the Morn..begins Her rosie progress smiling. 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xi. ¶1 If the Cheeks of the Press stand wide assunder, the sweep or progress of the..Bar will be greater than if they stand nearer together. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock v. 132 The Sylphs..pursue its progress thro' the skies. 1754 Gray Poesy 4 A thousand rills their mazy progress take. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 42 Up and up we went... Call progress toilsome?

    b. fig. Going on, progression; course or process (of action, events, narrative, time, etc.). in progress: proceeding, taking place, happening.

1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) I. 395 The auctor of this presente Cronicle towchethe in his progresse other processe rather Wales then Englonde. Ibid. VI. 353 Of the begynnynge, progresse, and ende [of] whom [orig. de cujus initio, progressu, et fine] hit is to be advertisede [etc.]. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 26 Of the iewes & theyr progresse we may lerne. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. iii. 33 In all the Progresse Both of my Life and Office, I haue labour'd..that [etc.]. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. iii. 155 This virtue decayes in progress of Time (as all Odours do). 1785 Reid Intell. Powers ii. xxi, So rapid is the progress of the thought. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 179 While these changes were in progress. 1891 Speaker 2 May 534/1 To trace the progress of chemical knowledge and research from the earliest times.

    4. a. Forward movement in space (as opposed to rest or regress); going forward, advance.

1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxxii. 52 Through streittis nane may mak progres [rimes incres, les], For cry of cruikit, blind, and lame. a 1656 Ussher Ann. vi. (1658) 773 Whose progresse and regresse in this journey we here set down out of Strabo. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. iv. xvi. 200 After some progress made in your Voyage. 1784 Cowper Task i. 330 The folded gates would bar my progress now. 1877 Bryce Transcaucasia (1896) 35 The same sense of motion without progress, which those who have crossed the ocean know so well.

    b. fig. Going on to a further or higher stage, or to further or higher stages successively; advance, advancement; growth, development, continuous increase; usually in good sense, advance to better and better conditions, continuous improvement.

1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) To Rdr., If you consider the beginning, progresse and perpetuall felicitie of this the Othoman Empire. 1686 tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 24 Having made no farther progress in his Business. 1713 Addison Guardian No. 104 ¶7, I am ashamed that I am not able to make a quicker progress through the French tongue. 1742 Young Nt. Th. ix. 1957 Nature delights in progress; in advance From worse to better: but, when minds ascend, Progress, in part, depends upon themselves. 1846 Trench Mirac. Introd. (1862) 38 The very idea of God's kingdom is that of progress, of a gradually fuller communication..of Himself to men. a 1862 Buckle Misc. Wks. (1872) I. 349 As civilization advances, the progress of manufactures greatly outstrips the progress of agriculture. 1874 Green Short Hist. vii. §5. 393 The moral and religious change which was passing over the country through the progress of Puritanism.

    † 5. A coming forth or proceeding from a source. (Cf. progression 5.) Obs. rare.

c 1530 Crt. of Love 1067 Love is a vertue clere, And from the soule his progress holdeth he.

    6. Sc. Law. In full, progress of (title) deeds or progress of titles: ‘such a series of the title-deeds of a landed estate, or other heritable subject, as is sufficient in law to constitute a valid and effectual feudal title thereto’ (W. Bell Dict. Law Scot.).

1593 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1816) IV. 11/2 James lindsay of barcloy pronevoy and air be progres to vmqle Johnne lindsay of wauchoip his grandschir. 1693 Stair Inst. Law Scot. (ed. 2) iv. xxxviii. §19. 660 Titles by Progress, are either Retours on services of Heirs, or Confirmations of Executors, or Assignations [etc.]..from whence the conclusion of the Summons is justly and legally inferred. a 1722 Fountainhall Decis. (1759) I. 4 In buying of land, men crave a forty years clear progress, and with that think themselves secure, by the grand act of prescription 1617. 1832 Scott St. Ronan's Introd., Removed..from his legal folios and progresses of title deeds, from his counters and shelves. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. s.v., Where the seller is able to show an unencumbered title..extending backwards for forty years,..the purchaser is bound to accept of this as a sufficient progress. 1868 Act 31 & 32 Vict. c. 101 §9 Any conveyance..forming part of the progress of title deeds of the said lands. 1874 Act 37 & 38 Vict. c. 94 §4 (1) When lands have been feued..It shall not..be necessary..that he shall obtain from the superior any charter, precept, or other writ by progress.

    7. attrib. and Comb., as progress clerk, progress committee, progress department, progress-killing, progress man, progress manager, progress-paralysing, progress payment, adjs.; † progress-bed, (?) a portable bed used on a progress; † progress block (block n. 4 b), ? the block or pattern of hat introduced for a royal progress; progress chaser, an employee responsible for ensuring that work is done efficiently and to schedule (cf. chaser¹ 7); hence progress-chasing; † progress house, a temporary place of shelter erected on a journey; † progress laundress, a laundress employed during a progress; progress report, an interim report on progress made to date; † progress-time, the time of a royal progress.

1586 Will of G. Scott (Somerset Ho.), A *prograsse bedd.

c 1614 Fletcher, etc. Wit at sev. Weapons iv. i, This broad-brimm'd hat Of the last *progress block, with the young hat-band.

1939 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 12/6 (Advt.), *Progress chasers wanted for aircraft work. 1943 J. B. Priestley Daylight on Saturday vii. 41 Even my friend Mona takes to it [sc. factory work] better than I do. You know she's a progress chaser now, don't you? 1977 Lancashire Life Mar. 49/1 The imminent threat of war found Arthur Lowe, progress chaser with Fairey Aviation, joining the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry in Manchester.

1943 J. B. Priestley Daylight on Saturday viii. 52 Doesn't matter what we do here—*progress chasing and..all the rest of it—we can't keep 'em to the high level. 1971 R. Lewis Fenokee Project i. 10 Pete dealt with the progress chasing on outstanding contracts.

1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §939 *Progress clerk,..traces and pushes forward work in its various stages from operation to operation until it is ready for delivery... Keeps a record of output, etc., in works. 1942 A. P. Jephcott Girls growing Up iv. 77 A progress clerk..is conscious of the superiority of her life over that of a girl who does a petty routine job all day. 1974 Evening News (Edinburgh) 8 Oct. 11/4 (Advt.), Progress clerk, {pstlg}1600 plus, have you previous experience in electronics?

1914 E. T. Elbourne Factory Admin. & Accounts ii. 39 (heading) *Progress Committee—under Works Manager. 1925 C. L. Bolling Commerc. Managem. x. 148 The managerial staff or ‘*progress department’ will put into operation the plans of the advisory staff. 1932 S. E. Thomas Commerce xxvii. 394 It is the duty of the Progress Department to follow up the various processes, to prepare job cards, material charts, etc.

a 1631 Donne Serm. (1839) IV. 177 The Tabernacle itself was but mobilis domus, and ecclesia portabilis,..a running, a *progress house.

1902 Monthly Rev. Oct. 46 A narrow *progress-killing formalism.

1624 Massinger Parl. Love ii. i, I myself shall have..Of *progress laundresses, and market-women,..a thousand bills Preferr'd against me.

1922 *Progress man [see chaser1 7]. 1957 C. Smith Case of Torches ii. 26 The small offices..where the engineers and draughtsmen and progress men pored..over their columns of figures.

1925 C. L. Bolling Commerc. Managem. x. 152 Each job undertaken is notified to the *progress manager. 1932 S. E. Thomas Commerce xxvii. 388 The executives under the works manager may include..a Progress Manager, who sees that the plans of the production manager or of the planner are carried into effect and that no unnecessary delays take place as the work passes from one process to another.

1893 B. O. Flower in Arena Mar. 509 The *progress-paralyzing miasma of creeds.

1959 Wall St. Jrnl. 12 June 3/1 The change will affect companies that receive ‘*progress payments’—funds advanced by the Government, usually monthly, to help offset a company's costs as it carries out major contracts. 1977 Herald (Melbourne) 17 Jan. 2/6 The company had obtained nearly $120,000 in progress payments but had completed only one contract in that period it was alleged.

1929 Saunders & Anderson Business Reports iv. 43 *Progress report is another report which may be limited to time, place, and handling of data similar to the informational report. 1943 J. B. Priestley Daylight on Saturday xxv. 189 Cheviot was now frowning hard at the progress reports on his desk. 1972 ‘E. Ferrars’ Breath of Suspicion iii. 38 So, if I see her again, you want a sort of progress report.

1607 Beaumont Woman Hater iii. ii, To..make some fine jests upon country people in *progress-time.

▪ II. progress, v.
    (prəʊˈgrɛs; see below)
    [f. prec. n. So mod.F. progresser (neologism in Littré).
    Common in England c 1590–1670, usually stressed like the n., ˈprogress. In 18th c. obs. in England, but app. retained (or formed anew) in America, where it became very common c 1790, with stress proˈgress (cf. diˈgress, transˈgress). Thence readopted in England after 1800 (Southey 1809); but often characterized as an Americanism, and much more used, until later 20th c., in America than in U.K., in sense 3, in which ordinary English usage said ‘go on’, ‘proceed’.]
    1. a. intr. To make a ‘progress’ or journey; to journey, travel; spec. to make a state journey, travel ceremoniously, as a royal, noble, or official personage. Now rare or Obs., or merged in 2.

c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon iv. 56 We'll progress straight to Oxford with our trains. 1607 Rowlands Diog. Lanth. 22 The Owle being weary of the night Would progresse in the Sunne. c 1620 Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) 61 He's like a mighty King, About his countreye stately progressing. 1648 Earl of Westmoreland Otia Sacra (1879) 62 Pave me a Golden Tract to Progress in. a 1662 Heylin Laud 139 His Majesty progresseth towards the West.

    † b. trans. To travel through; to traverse. Obs.

1596 Drayton Leg. i. 601 Who should have progres'd all a Kingdomes space. 1635 Quarles Embl. iv. xii, When my soule had progrest ev'ry place, That love and deare affection could contrive. 1641 Milton Reform. ii. Wks. 1851 III. 71 Progressing the datelesse and irrevoluble Circle of Eternity.

    2. intr. To go or move forward or onward; to proceed, make one's way, advance.

1595 Shakes. John v. ii. 46 Let me wipe off this honourable dewe, That siluerly doth progresse on thy cheekes. 1624 Ford Sun's Darling v. i, Progress o'er the year Again, my Raybright; therein like the Sun. 1808 Schultz Trav. (1810) II. 170 In this manner..the head [of an island] is continually progressing up the [Mississippi] river, while the lower part is proportionably wasting away. 1832 R. H. Froude in Rem. (1838) I. 359 The poor Italian, canoe, niggers, and all..were seen again about thirty yards off progressing with the crest of the wave towards the beach. 1857 Thoreau Maine W. (1894) 383 We had been busily progressing all day.

    3. fig. Of action or an agent: To go on, proceed, advance; to be carried on as an action; to carry on an action.

1607 Day Trav. Eng. Bro. (1881) 17 As sure as day doth progress towards night. a 1614 Donne βιαθανατος (1648) 213 As farre as I allowed my Discourse to progresse in this way. 1791 Washington Lett. Writ. 1891 XII. 52 The business of laying out the city..is progressing. 1837 Lowell Lett. (1894) I. 17 'Tis a pretty good subject, but I find it enlarging as I progress. 1864 G. W. Dasent Jest & Earnest (1873) II. 41 If the work had progressed as it began, there ought to have been nine. 1906 J. A. Hatton Pilgr. in Region Faith iii. 137 The controversy is progressing.

    b. Mus. Of melody or harmony: To proceed from one note or chord to another; cf. progression 8 a.

1890 in Cent. Dict.

    4. fig. To make progress; to proceed to a further or higher stage, or to further or higher stages continuously; to advance, get on; to develop, increase; usually, to advance to better conditions, to go on or get on well, to improve continuously.

1610 B. Jonson Alch. ii. iii, Nor can this remote matter, sodainly Progresse so from extreme, vnto extreme, As to grow gold, and leape ore all the meanes. 1632 Marmion Holland's Leaguer ii. iv, I began Betimes, and so progrest from less to bigger. 1791 Washington Lett. Writ. 1891 XII. 24 Our country..is fast progressing in its political importance and social happiness. 1796 Ibid. 1892 XIII. 354 The pleasure of hearing you were well..and progressing..in your studies. 1809 Southey Let. to G. C. Bedford 30 Apr., Another state of being, in which there shall be no other change than that of progressing in knowledge. 1828 Hawthorne Fanshawe x, Her convalescence had so far progressed. 1832 Miss Mitford Village Ser. v. 76 (Widow Gentlewoman) In country towns..society has been progressing (if I may borrow that expressive Americanism) at a very rapid rate. 1840 Gladstone Ch. Princ. 11 It may..be the case that..we are actually progressing in some particulars while we retrograde in others. 1885 Law Rep. 10 P.D. 97 The melancholia had markedly progressed.

    b. To proceed, as the terms or items of a series, from less to greater; to form an advancing series.

1868 Herschel in People's Mag. Jan. 62 Squares of clear window-glass..regularly progressing in size by quarter or half inches in the side.

    5. To come forth or issue from a source: = proceed v. 7 b. rare. (Cf. progress n. 5.)

1850 Neale Med. Hymns (1867) 179 Holy Ghost from Both progressing.

    6. trans. To cause to move onward or advance; to push forward. lit. and fig. Also, spec. to cause (work, etc.) to make regular progress towards completion.

1875 Ure's Dict. Arts II. 131 (Dressing of Ores) The heavier portion is progressed across the table, and passed into an ore bin. 1887 N.Y. Tribune 7 Mar. (Cent. Dict.), Urging that the bills..be progressed as rapidly as possible. 1954 ‘N. Shute’ Slide Rule 184, I was chiefly occupied..in progressing the design and construction of the factory at Portsmouth. 1965 E. Gowers Fowler's Mod. Eng. Usage (ed. 2) 479/2 Progress... Prō{p}grĕs is usual for the transitive verb, now much used in the manufacturing and building industries in the sense of pushing a job forward by regular stages. 1976 Southern Even. Echo (Southampton) 16 Nov. 13/2 (Advt.), Purchasing Administrator to work in busy spares section. Placing and progressing orders. 1978 Observer 12 Feb. 12/3 Welders to be trained to make more tack items to allow them to progress their own work to completion.

    Hence proˈgressed ppl. a., advanced; proˈgressing vbl. n. and ppl. a.

1850 T. Edwards Eng. Welsh Dict. Addr., To meet the progressed state of the Arts and Sciences. 1850 Browning Easter Day xiv, Your progressing is slower. 1870 Dickens E. Drood iii, The most agreeable evidences of progressing life in Cloisterham. 1874 Thirlwall Lett. (1881) II. 304 The steadily progressing failure of my eyesight.

Oxford English Dictionary