profess
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (7)professed, professing
- practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about“She professes organic chemistry”More general claim
- confess one's faith in, or allegiance to“The terrorists professed allegiance to their country”“he professes to be a Communist”More general declare
- admit (to a wrongdoing)“She confessed that she had taken the money”Synonyms: concedeconfessMore general admit, acknowledgeMore specific make a clean breast of, own up
- state freely“The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades”More general declare
- receive into a religious order or congregationMore general accept, admit
- take vows, as in religious order“she professed herself as a nun”More general vowMore specific take the veil
- state insincerely“He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt”“She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber”“She pretends to be an expert on wine”Synonyms: pretend
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F. profès, masc., professe, fem., professed (monk or nun), L. professus, p. p. of profiteri to profess; pro before, forward + fateri to confess, own. See Confess.
1. To make open declaration of, as of one's knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to confess publicly; to own or admit freely. “Hear me profess sincerely.” William Shakespeare
The best and wisest of them all professed To know this only, that he nothing knew.— John Milton
2. To set up a claim to; to make presence to; hence, to put on or present an appearance of.
I do profess to be no less than I seem.— William Shakespeare
3. To present to knowledge of, to proclaim one's self versed in; to make one's self a teacher or practitioner of, to set up as an authority respecting; to declare (one's self to be such); as, he professes surgery; to profess one's self a physician.
1. To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess. Michael Drayton
2. To declare friendship. obsolete William Shakespeare
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54