What is the origin of "Pros and cons"? Are the words abbreviations?
by 
Daydreamer
ANSWERS: 3
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They are not abbreviations- they are the latin words for "for" and "against" respectively, and can often be found in modern english words in the form of prefixes. Amusing enough, "Congress" is kinda the opposite of "Progress" :P
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From the Latin "pro et contra"; "for and against." "Pro" is not abbreviated, but "con" is an English abbreviation for the Latin "contra." This should not be confused with the common Latin prefix "con-" that appears in English words such as "congenial, congregation, and console." In these words "con-" generally translates as "with or together." To simplify: pro = for contra = against con- = with, together see: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pros_and_cons http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/con-
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Pro Pro, adv. For, on, or in behalf of, the affirmative side; -- in contrast with con. Pro and con, for and against, on the affirmative and on the negative side; as, they debated the question pro and con; -- formerly used also as a verb. Pros and cons, the arguments or reasons on either side. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pros+and+cons&r=66 "Pro" means for, and "con" means against; "the pros and cons" are the reasons for and against doing something. Example: "Should we do it or not?" Answer: "First let's look at the pros and cons." Before you decide to do it or not, you should try to understand the reasons for doing it (the pros) and the reasons against doing it (the cons). Example: "Before we decide, let's be sure we understand the pros and cons." A "pro" is a reason to do something; a "con" is a reason to not do it. Example: "I've considered the pros and cons and I've decided: it is going to be expensive, but I still want to go to college." The pros and cons are the good and bad aspects of some thing. http://www.goenglish.com/TheProsAndCons.asp
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