From Middle English professhennalle, professhynalle; equivalent to profession + -al.

• IPA: /pɹəˈfɛʃənəl/

professional (plural professionals)

1. A person who belongs to a profession.
2. A person who earns their living from a specified activity.
3. (euphemism) A prostitute.

   There was this nice lady who flirted with me at the bar, but it turned out that she was a professional.

4. A reputation known by name.
5. An expert.
6. One of four categories of sociologist propounded by Horowitz: a sociologist who is actively concerned with promoting the profession of sociology.

• Italian: professionista
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́л
• Spanish: profesional, profesionista (Mexico)

• German: Profi, Professioneller, Professionelle
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́л
• Spanish: profesional, profesionista (Mexico)

• French: professionnel, professionnelle
• German: Profi
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́л

professional

1. Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with the (usually high) standards of a profession.
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:

     His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill; […].

2. That is carried out for money, especially as a livelihood.
3. (by extension) Expert.

• French: professionnel
• German: professionell, Beruf
• Italian: professionale
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́льный
• Spanish: profesional

• German: berufsmäßig, professionell
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́льный
• Spanish: profesional

• German: professionell
• Italian: specializzato, qualificato
• Portuguese: profissional
• Russian: профессиона́льный