Word of the Day - 09/20/25
profuse
/prÉ™'fjus/(adj.): produced or growing in extreme abundance
Profuse sweating is one of the symptoms of heatstroke.
Word Origin
The word 'profuse' comes from the Latin 'profusus', which is the past participle of 'profundere', meaning 'to pour forth'. It breaks down into 'pro-' (meaning 'forward' or 'forth') and 'fundere' (meaning 'to pour'). So, literally, 'poured forth'.
Many English words share the Latin root 'fundere' (to pour) or its past participle stem 'fus-'. Examples include 'effuse' (to pour out), 'suffuse' (to spread over or through as if by pouring), 'infuse' (to pour in), 'confuse' (to pour together, mix up), 'diffuse' (to spread out), and 'refuse' (originally to pour back, then to decline).