I. proj·ect ˈpräˌjekt, ˈprō-, -_jə̇kt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English proiecte, modification (influenced by Latin projectus, past participle of proicere, projicere to throw forth) of Middle French pourjet, porjet, pourject, from pourjeter, porjeter, pourjecter to throw out, spy, get the lay of the land, plan, from pour-, por- (from Latin porro forward, onward) + jeter to throw; akin to Greek porrō away, forward, pro forward, ahead — more at projection , for , jet
1. : a specific plan or design: as
a. obsolete : a tabular outline : draft , pattern
b. : a devised or proposed plan : a scheme for which there seems hope of success : proposal
presented his project to the committee
he discusses his projects with her — Current Biography
2. obsolete : a mental conception : idea
3. : a planned undertaking: as
a. : a definitely formulated piece of research
b.
(1) : an undertaking devised to effect the reclamation or improvement of a particular area of land
the construction of small irrigation projects — W.O.Douglas
(2) : the area of land involved
c. : a systematically built group of houses or apartment buildings ; especially : one that includes community facilities and has been socially planned with government support to serve low-income families
d. : a vast enterprise usually sponsored and financed by a government
demands made for setting up public work projects — American Guide Series: New York
the project , as authorized by Congress … provided for a ten-year expenditure of $88 million — Current Biography
4. : projet 2
5. : a task or problem that is engaged in usually by a group of students to supplement and apply classroom studies and that often involves a variety of mental and physical activities related to the center of interest
making a model of the Shakespearean stage is a good project for an English class
6. : projection 8b (1)
Synonyms: see plan
II. pro·ject prəˈjekt, prōˈ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: modification (influenced by Latin projectus ) of Middle French pourjeter, porjeter, pourjecter
transitive verb
1. : to devise in the mind : plan for : contrive , design
a road is now projected all the way along the south side — G.R.Stewart
support … is mighty important in projecting school building programs — Education Digest
ridiculed plants of this size when they were first projected — M.W.Straight
2. : to throw or cast forward : shoot forth
a fountain that projects its slender column of water about 75 feet in the air — American Guide Series: North Carolina
plans were made to project iron missiles — Current Biography
3. : to put or set forth : present for consideration : exhibit the characteristics of
in these volumes I was trying to project how this world would have appeared — F.M.Ford
doing a grand job projecting Britain overseas — Asher Lee
4. : to conceive of mentally : imagine
5. : to cause to protrude
a tiny kitchen which had no equipment … visibly projected — Martin Flavin
6.
a. : to cause (light or shadow) to fall into space or (an image) upon a surface
these pictures have been projected on screens throughout the U.S. — Current Biography
b. : to cause (a figure) to stand out distinctly against a background
appeared on his doorstep, darkly projected against a blaze of light — Edith Wharton
7.
a. : to move in a prescribed direction (as a point, line, or area) so as to depict on a curve, a plane, or a cylindrical, spherical, or other surface so that the picture thus represented on the curve or surface is the shadow of the points, lines, or areas that would be thrown by parallel, diverging, or converging rays of light
the map maker projected the world as the section of a cylinder suspended in the center of the circular vault of heaven — Tad Szulc
b. : to depict (one figure) by another figure according to a fixed correspondence between the points of the two
8.
a. : to communicate or convey vividly especially to an audience
not only sang beautifully, but projected the drama very well — Robert Evett
b. : to produce with exceptional clarity and distinctness
a particularly brilliant example of the singer who knows how to project our language — Howard Taubman
his voice is not large but … is projected well — W.M.Clark
9. : to externalize and regard as objective or outside oneself (as a sensation, image, or emotion)
a nation is an entity on which one can project many of the worst of one's instincts — Times Literary Supplement
— opposed to introject
intransitive verb
1. chiefly dialect
a. : to form a project : scheme
b. : to go about idly with no particular purpose : fool around
I wouldn't go projecting off into the woods alone — C.B.Kelland
— often used with around
2. : to jut out : extend beyond a given line : protrude
the walls in places project into massive buttresses — Andrew Finn
hands projected a little too far from the sleeves — J.P.Marquand
3.
a. : to communicate or convey an idea or conception vividly especially to an audience
b. : to speak with exceptional clarity and distinction
a young actor who had no idea how to project to the last row
Synonyms: see bulge , plan I
III. project adjective
Etymology: Latin projectus, past participle of proicere, projicere to throw forth, reject — more at projection
obsolete : abandoned