Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A word or construction that takes the place of a verb or verb phrase, such as do in the sentence She likes ice cream and I do, too.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[pro(noun) + verb.]

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Examples

  • So thank goodness for Dr. Boris Worm, whose latest study puts the old pro-verb right again, at least in part.

    'SERENGETIS' UNDER THE SEA 2008

  • ˜Being™ (˜Das Sein™) along with the forms am, are, is, is a pro-verb in exactly the same way as ˜this™ is a pronoun.

    Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Cristaudo, Wayne 2008

  • When there isn't enough Predicator available to release a particle for the pre-Subject position, a form of the pro-verb 'do' is brought into play: (1b) "Does the woman feed those pigeons regularly?"

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows geniusroi 2010

  • When there isn't enough Predicator available to release a particle for the pre-Subject position, a form of the pro-verb 'do' is brought into play: (1b) "Does the woman feed those pigeons regularly?"

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows geniusroi 2010

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