proud

Etymology

From Middle English proud, prout, prut, from Old English prūd, prūt (“proud, arrogant, haughty”) (compare Old English prȳtung (“pride”); prȳde, prȳte (“pride”)). Cognate with German Low German praud, Old Norse prúðr (“gallant, brave, magnificent, stately, handsome, fine”) (Icelandic prúður, Middle Swedish prudh, Danish prud), probably from Old French prod, prud (“brave, gallant”) (modern French preux), from Late Latin prōde (“useful”), derived from Latin prōdesse (“to be of value”); however, the Old English umlaut derivatives prȳte, prȳtian, etc. suggest the word may be older and possibly native. Compare Old Norse prýði (“ornament; gallantry, bravery”). See also pride.

adj

1. Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified.
   I am proud of Sivu’s schoolwork.
   LETO: Thufir Hawat has served House Atreides three generations. He swears you are the finest student he has ever taught. Yueh, Gurney and Duncan say the same. Makes me feel very proud. PAUL: I want you to be proud of me. 1984, 19:33 from the start, in Dune (Science Fiction), spoken by Leto Atreides and Paul Atreides, →OCLC
   Shepard: It's been a long journey, and no one's coming out without scars. But it all comes down to this moment. Shepard: We win or lose it all in the next few minutes. Make me proud. Make yourselves proud. 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Collector Base
   1. That makes one feel proud (of something one did)
      That was not the proudest thing I did but I can’t deny it.
2. Possessed of a due sense of what one deserves or is worth.
   I was too proud to apologise.
3. (chiefly biblical) Having too high an opinion of oneself; arrogant, supercilious.
   Godolphin Horne was Nobly Born; / He held the human race in scorn, / And lived with all his sisters where / His father lived, in Berkeley Square. / And oh! The lad was deathly proud! / He never shook your hand or bowed, / But merely smirked and nodded thus: / How perfectly ridiculous! / Alas! That such Affected Tricks / Should flourish in a child of six! 1907, Hilaire Belloc, Cautionary Tales for Children, Godolphin Horne Who was cursed with the Sin of Pride, and Became a Boot-Black
4. Generating a sense of pride; being a cause for pride.
   It was a proud day when we finally won the championship.
5. (Of things) standing upwards as in the manner of a proud person; stately or majestic.
   Norsus … walked between the lines of soldiers in their bronze armour; keen swords in their hands and proud plumes fluttering from their helmets. 1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 77
6. Standing out or raised; swollen.
   After it had healed, the scar tissue stood proud of his flesh.
   The weld was still a bit proud of the panel, so she ground it down flush.
7. (obsolete) Brave, valiant; gallant.
8. (obsolete) Excited by sexual desire; specifically of a female animal: in heat.