'proctor' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'procurator', where the prefix 'pro-' meant 'on behalf of' and 'curare' meant 'to take care of' or 'manage'.

'proctor' changed from Middle English (via Old French/Anglo-Norman 'procurateur' or Middle English 'procuratour') and eventually became the Modern English form 'proctor' used from Early Modern English onward.

Initially, it meant 'an agent or manager acting on behalf of someone', but over time it evolved into the more specialized modern sense of 'an official who supervises examinations' (while the broader agent/administrator sense became more archaic or restricted).