In reply to:

I was surprised to learn that the first attested sense of profession/professional pertains to entrance into a religious order.

Which reminds me of the confusion I felt when I first read Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" with his references to professors. It took a while to realise he meant people who professed an opinion they didn't really hold rather than a blanket condemnation of academics.

Bingley


Bingley