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English
Etymology
Formed in English of pro- (“substituting for”) + verb.
Noun
pro-verb (plural pro-verbs)
- (linguistics, grammar) A pro-form used to substitute for a verb or verb phrase.
1875, Simon Kerl, A Common School Grammar of the English Language, page 150:“They herd cattle, and raise corn, just as we used to do”; i.e., to herd cattle and raise corn. Do is sometimes thus used as a sort of pro-verb to represent an active verb or a phrase.
2000, Laurel Brinton, The Structure of Modern English: A Linguistic Introduction, page 206:The pro-verb do is like a pronoun; just as a pronoun replaces the entire NP, the pro-verb replaces an entire VP.
Usage notes
In some languages an auxiliary verb may function as a pro-verb, coreferential with a verb or verb phrase. The most common pro-verb in English is do.
Translations
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