procure
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English procuren, from Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre, present active infinitive of Latin prōcūrō (“I manage, administer”), from prō (“on behalf of”) + cūrō (“I care for”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɹəˈkjʊə/, /pɹəˈkjɔː/
- (General American) IPA(key): /pɹəˈkjʊɹ/, /pɹəˈkjɝ/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)
Verb edit
procure (third-person singular simple present procures, present participle procuring, simple past and past participle procured)
- (transitive) To acquire or obtain.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- if we procure not to ourselves more woe
- 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
- Later there would also be need for seeds and artificial manures, besides various tools and, finally, the machinery for the windmill. How these were to be procured, no one was able to imagine.
- (transitive) To obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else.
- (transitive, criminal law) To induce or persuade someone to do something.
- (obsolete) To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.
- 1551, Thomas More, translated by Ralph Robinson, Utopia:
- By all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach.
- c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
- Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall.
- (obsolete) To solicit; to entreat.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 1:
- The famous Briton prince and faery knight, […] / Of the fair Alma greatly were procured / To make there lenger soiourne and abode.
- (obsolete) To cause to come; to bring; to attract.
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:
- What unaccustomed cause procures her hither?
Related terms edit
Translations edit
to acquire or obtain an item or service
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to obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
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to induce or persuade someone to do something
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References edit
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “procure”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
procure
- inflection of procurer:
Italian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
procure f
Portuguese edit
Pronunciation edit
- Hyphenation: pro‧cu‧re
Verb edit
procure
- inflection of procurar:
Spanish edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
procure
- inflection of procurar: