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progress [progress 词源字典]: progress: [15] Progress is one of a large family of English words (including also grade, gradual, transgress, etc) that go back to Latin gradus ‘step’. From it was derived the verb gradī ‘go, step’, which in combination with the prefix prō- ‘forward’ produced prōgredī ‘go forward’. English gets progress from its past participle prōgressus.
=> grade, gradual, ingredient, regress, transgress[progress etymology, progress origin, 英语词源]
progress (v.): 1590s in the literal sense; c. 1600 in the figurative sense, from progress (n.). OED says the verb was obsolete in English 18c. but was reformed or retained in America and subsequently long regarded in Britain as an Americanism. Related: Progressed; progressing.
progress (n.): late 14c., "a going on, action of walking forward," from Old French progres (Modern French progrès), from Latin progressus "a going forward," from past participle of progredi (see progression).

In early use in English especially "a state journey by royalty." Figurative sense of "growth, development, advancement to higher stages" is from c. 1600. To be in progress "underway" is attested by 1849. Progress report attested by 1865.
progression (n.): late 14c., "action of moving from one condition to another," from Old French progression and directly from Latin progressionem (nominative progressio) "a going forward, advancement, growth, increase," noun of action from past participle stem of progredi "go forward," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + gradi "to step, walk," from gradus "step" (see grade (n.)).
progressive (adj.): c. 1600, "characterized by advancement" (in action, character, etc.), from progress (n.) + -ive, or else from French progressif, from past participle stem of Latin progredi. Of taxation, from 1889; of jazz, from 1947. Meaning "characterized by striving for change and innovation, avant-garde, liberal" is from 1908.

In the socio-political sense "favoring reform; radically liberal," it emerged in various British contexts from the 1880s; in the U.S. it was active as a movement in the 1890s and a generation thereafter, the name being taken again from time to time, most recently by some more liberal Democrats and other social activists, by c. 2000. The noun in the sense "one who favors social and political change in the name of progress" is first attested 1865 (originally in Christianity). Earlier in a like sense were progressionist (1849, adjective; 1884, noun), progressist (1848). Related: Progressively; progressiveness.
progressivism (n.): 1855 (from 1892 in the political sense), from progressive + -ism.
retrogress (v.): "move backward; deteriorate," 1816, probably a back-formation from retrogression. Related: Retrogressed; retrogressing.
retrogression (n.): 1640s, noun of action, formed on model of progression, from Latin retrogressus, past participle of retrogradi "move backward" (see retrograde).
retrogressive (adj.): "tending to move backward," 1785, from Latin retrogress-, past participle stem of retrogradi "move backward, go backward" (see retrograde) + -ive. Related: Retrogressively.
progressist: "A person who favours or advocates progress, especially in political or social matters; a reformer, a progressive", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Times. From progress + -ist; in many instances after equivalent terms in Romance languages, as French progressiste, Spanish progresista, adjective and noun, Italian progressista, adjective and noun.