What qualifies as a 'profession'? What does it mean to be a “professional.” The term profession comes from the Latin noun professio, which is derived from the past participle professus, or the verb profiteri, denoting “to declare publicly, own freely, acknowledge, avow.” Professionals are said to “profess” something, they stand for something. The noun professional didn’t appear in American dictionaries until 1861. In the 18th and 19th centuries 'professions' referred to theology, law, medicine, and education. From the early 17th till the mid-18th century, theology was considered the preeminent
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