prompt

[prompt] adjective, prompt·er, prompt·est, verb, noun
adjective
1.
done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay: a prompt reply.
2.
ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands.
3.
quick or alert: prompt to take offense.
verb (used with object)
5.
to move or induce to action: What prompted you to say that?
6.
to occasion or incite; inspire: What prompted his resignation?
7.
to assist (a person speaking) by suggesting something to be said.
8.
Theater. to supply (an actor, singer, etc.) from offstage with a missed cue or forgotten line.
00:10
Prompt is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to flee; abscond:
to bark; yelp.
verb (used without object)
9.
Theater. to supply forgotten lines, lyrics, or the like to an actor, singer, etc.
noun
10.
Commerce.
a.
a limit of time given for payment for merchandise purchased, the limit being stated on a note of reminder (prompt note)
b.
the contract setting the time limit.
11.
the act of prompting.
12.
something serving to suggest or remind.
13.
Computers. a message or symbol from a computer system to a user, generally appearing on a display screen, requesting more information or indicating that the system is ready for user instructions.
14.
take a prompt, (in acting) to move or speak in response to a cue.

Origin:
1300–50; (v.) Middle English < Medieval Latin prōmptāre to incite, Latin: to distribute, frequentative of prōmere to bring out, equivalent to prō- pro-1 + (e)mere to take, buy; (adj.) late Middle English < Latin promptus ready, prompt, special use of past participle of prōmere

prompt·ly, adverb
prompt·ness, noun
o·ver·prompt, adjective
o·ver·prompt·ly, adverb
o·ver·prompt·ness, noun
qua·si-prompt, adjective
qua·si-prompt·ly, adverb
un·prompt, adjective
un·prompt·ly, adverb
un·prompt·ness, noun
un·prompt·ed, adjective


5. urge, spur, instigate, impel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To prompt
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World English Dictionary
prompt (prɒmpt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  performed or executed without delay
2.  quick or ready to act or respond
 
adv
3.  informal punctually
 
vb
4.  (tr) to urge (someone to do something)
5.  to remind (an actor, singer, etc) of lines forgotten during a performance
6.  (tr) to refresh the memory of
7.  (tr) to give rise to by suggestion: his affairs will prompt discussion
 
n
8.  commerce
 a.  the time limit allowed for payment of the debt incurred by purchasing goods or services on credit
 b.  the contract specifying this time limit
 c.  Also called: prompt note a memorandum sent to a purchaser to remind him of the time limit and the sum due
9.  the act of prompting
10.  anything that serves to remind
11.  an aid to the operator of a computer in the form of a question or statement that appears on the screen showing that the equipment is ready to proceed and indicating the options available
 
[C15: from Latin promptus evident, from prōmere to produce, from pro-1 + emere to buy]
 
'promptly
 
adv
 
'promptness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

prompt
mid-14c., from O.Fr. prompt (early 13c.), from L. promptus "brought forth, at hand, ready, quick," prop. pp. of promere "to bring forth," from pro- "forward" + emere "to take" (see exempt). Theatrical sense of "to assist a speaker with lines" is first recorded early 15c.
The adj. is first recorded early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Sure, this could prompt change, but we're not banking on it.
She is especially interested in the cultural conditions that prompt infectious
  diseases to emerge, return or get worse.
Exchange-rate movements could also prompt protectionist responses.
Prompt treatment of increased intracranial pressure and related disorders may
  reduce the risk of brain herniation.
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