professing

pro·fess  (pr-fs, pr-)

v. pro·fessed, pro·fess·ing, pro·fess·es

v.tr.

1. To affirm openly; declare or claim: "a physics major [who] professes to be a stickler when it comes to data" (Gina Maranto).

2. To make a pretense of; pretend: "top officials who were deeply involved with the arms sales but later professed ignorance of them" (David Johnston).

3.

a. To practice as a profession or claim knowledge of: profess medicine.

b. To teach (a subject) as a professor: profess literature.

4. To affirm belief in: profess Catholicism.

5. To receive into a religious order or congregation.

v.intr.

1. To make an open affirmation.

2. To take the vows of a religious order or congregation.

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[Middle English professen, to take vows, from Old French profes, that has taken a religious vow (from Medieval Latin professus, avowed) and from Medieval Latin professre, to administer a vow, both from Latin professus, past participle of profitr, to affirm openly : pro-, forth; see pro-¹ + fatr, to acknowledge; see bh-² in Indo-European roots.]

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pro·fessed·ly (-fsd-l) adv.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

professing - an open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion; "a profession of disagreement" profession affirmation, avouchment, avowal - a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something