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Word of the Day : October 7, 2022

proffer play
verb PRAH-fer
PrevNext

What It Means
Proffer is a formal word meaning “to present (something) for
acceptance.”
// Several recommendations were proffered by the finance
board on how to reduce the city’s debt without making
drastic cuts in department budgets.
See the entry >
PROFFER in Context
“Already, critics and fans have proffered their share of theories
as to the One True Meaning of ‘Crimes of the Future.’ Some
see it as an eco-fable about the damage humans have
inflicted upon their environment. Others see a meditation on
[filmmaker David] Cronenberg’s identity as an aging artist, an
interpretation reinforced by [actor Viggo] Mortensen’s
perhaps-ironic comment that the film is ‘autobiographical’ for
Cronenberg.” — Noah Gittell, The Ringer, 6 June 2022
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Did You Know?

As rhyming synonyms, proffer and offer are quite the pair, and
we can proffer an explanation as to why: both come
ultimately from Latin offerre, meaning “to present, tender,
proffer, offer.” Offer had been part of the language for
hundreds of years before proffer was adopted by way of an
Anglo-French intermediary in the 14th century. A more
formal word than its plainer relation, proffer often
emphasizes courteousness on the part of the one doing the
tendering.

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