Progress, n.
Etymology: [L. progressus, from progredi, p. p. progressus, to go forth or forward; pro forward + gradi to step, go: cf. F. progrès. See Grade.]
1. A moving or going forward; a proceeding onward; an advance; specifically: (a) In actual space, as the progress of a ship, carriage, etc. (b) In the growth of an animal or plant; increase. (c) In business of any kind; as, the progress of a negotiation; the progress of art. (d) In knowledge; in proficiency; as, the progress of a child at school. (e) Toward ideal completeness or perfection in respect of quality or condition; -- applied to individuals, communities, or the race; as, social, moral, religious, or political progress.
2. A journey of state; a circuit; especially, one made by a sovereign through parts of his own dominions. The king being returned from his progresse. Evelyn.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Progress (; formerly pronounced like Progress, n.), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Progressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Progressing.]
1. To make progress; to move forward in space; to continue onward in course; to proceed; to advance; to go on; as, railroads are progressing. "As his recovery progressed." Thackeray. Let me wipe off this honorable dew, That silverly doth progress on thy checks. Shak. They progress in that style in proportion as their pieces are treated with contempt. Washington. The war had progressed for some time. Marshall.
2. To make improvement; to advance. Bayard. If man progresses, art must progress too. Caird.
Progress (; see Progress, v. i.), v. t.
To make progress in; to pass through. [Obs.] Milton.
Shades of meaning
Progress (L. pro, forward, gradior, go) is a moving onward or forward, whether in space or in the mental or moral realm, and may be either mechanical, individual, or social. Attainment, development, and proficiency are more absolute than the other words of the group, denoting some point of advantage or of comparative perfection reached by forward or onward movement; we speak of attainments in virtue or scholarship, proficiency in music or languages, the development of new powers or organs; proficiency includes the idea of skill. Advance may denote either a forward movement or the point gained by forward movement, but always relatively with reference to the point from which the movement started; as, this is a great advance. Advance admits the possibility of retreat; progress (L. progredi, to walk forward) is steady and constant forward movement, admitting of pause, but not of retreat; advance suggests more clearly a point to be reached, while progress lays the emphasis upon the forward movement; we may speak of slow or rapid progress, but more naturally of swift advance. Progress is more frequently used of abstractions; as, the progress of ideas; progression fixes the attention chiefly upon the act of moving forward. In a thing good in itself all advance or progress is improvement; there is a growing tendency to restrict the words to this favorable sense, using increase indifferently of good or evil; one may say without limitation, "I am an advocate of progress."
Prepositions
The progress of truth; progress in virtue; toward perfection; from a lower to a higher state.