progress

 

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈprəʊgrɛs/
[mass noun]
  • 1forward or onward movement towards a destination: the darkness did not stop my progress they failed to make any progress up the estuary
  • [count noun] archaic a state journey or official tour, especially by royalty.
  • 2development towards an improved or more advanced condition: we are making progress towards equal rights

verb

Pronunciation: /prəˈgrɛs/
[no object]
  • 1move forward or onward in space or time: as the century progressed the quality of telescopes improved
  • [with object] (usually as adjective progressed) Astrology calculate the position of (a planet) or of all the planets and coordinates of (a chart) according to the technique of progression.
  • 2develop towards an improved or more advanced condition: work on the pond is progressing
  • [with object] cause (a task or undertaking) to make progress: I cannot predict how quickly we can progress the matter

Phrases

in progress

in the course of being done or carried out: a meeting was in progress

Origin:

late Middle English (as a noun): from Latin progressus 'an advance', from the verb progredi, from pro- 'forward' + gradi 'to walk'. The verb became obsolete in British English use at the end of the 17th century and was readopted from American English in the early 19th century