proffer v.

word-forming element meaning "forward, forth, toward the front" (as in proclaim, proceed); "beforehand, in advance" (prohibit, provide); "taking care of" (procure); "in place of, on behalf of" (proconsul, pronoun); from Latin pro (adv., prep.) "on behalf of, in place of, before, for, in exchange for, just as," which also was used as a first element in compounds and had a collateral form por-.

Also in some cases from cognate Greek pro "before, in front of, sooner," which also was used in Greek as a prefix (as in problem). Both the Latin and Greek words are from PIE *pro- (source also of Sanskrit pra- "before, forward, forth;" Gothic faura "before," Old English fore "before, for, on account of," fram "forward, from;" Old Irish roar "enough"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before, toward, near," etc.

The common modern sense of "in favor of, favoring" (pro-independence, pro-fluoridation, pro-Soviet, etc.) was not in classical Latin and is attested in English from early 19c.

Middle English offeren, from Old English ofrian "to bring or put forward, to make a presentation, to show, exhibit;" also "to sacrifice, present something solemnly or worshipfully as a religious sacrifice, bring an oblation," from Latin offerre "to present, bestow, bring before" (in Late Latin "to present in worship"), from assimilated form of ob "to" (see ob-) + ferre "to bring, to carry," from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear children."

From early 15c. as "to present (something) for acceptance or rejection." From 1530s as "to attempt to do." Commercial sense of "to expose for sale" is from 1630s. The Latin word was borrowed widely in Germanic languages in the religious sense via Christianity: Old Frisian offria, Middle Dutch offeren, Old Norse offra. The non-religious senses in English were from or reinforced by sense of Old French offrir "to offer," which is from Latin offerre. Related: Offered; offering.