Prestige’s positive reputation grew from a word about illusion.
Prestige entered English with trickery and illusion senses. Around 1815 it could describe a flattering illusion of personal importance. The word then acquired the positive sense of reputation or standing familiar today.
Dates mark recorded uses approximately; meanings can coexist. French lies behind the English word and influenced these later uses.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster: prestige
Word History and definitions support the ancestry and selected senses.
- Online Etymology Dictionary: prestige
The entry dates English illusion use to the 1650s and flattering personal-importance use to about 1815, before the positive reputation sense.