Projection
/prəˈdʒɛk.ʃən/noun
The act of throwing or extending something outward; in psychology, attributing one’s own feelings to someone else.
Did you know?Projection comes from Latin *proiectio*, from *proicere* “to throw forward,” and the same root family also gave English words tied to casting, hurling, and even ejecting — language built around force moving outward.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ye-
“to throw, hurl”
Latin
Latin
iacere
“to throw, cast”
Latin
Latin
proicere
“to throw forward, cast out”
Late Latin
Latin
projectio
“a throwing forward, extension”
Middle English
English
projeccioun
“an extension or outward casting”
Modern English
English
projection
“the act of extending, throwing, or attributing outward”