πρόσω

Forms

πρόσω (prósō); comparative προσωτέρω, superlative προσωτάτω.^[2][3] Epic and poetic πρόσσω; poetic πόρσω (Pindar, tragedy); Attic πόρρω.^[2][4]

Etymology

In Beekes's and Frisk's view it is from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before, forward”) with a suffix *-ti̯o-, a frozen instrumental formed like ὀπίσω (opísō), or perhaps a thematic extension of πρότι (próti).^[3][5] Chantraine also derives it from the preposition, with the directive suffix *-yō-.^[3][5][6] Lasso de la Vega and Wiktionary instead analyse it as πρός (prós) with the adverbial ending -ω (-ō), like εἴσω (eísō).^[5][1] The forms πόρσω (pórsō) and Attic πόρρω (pórrhō) belong with it.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad it means “forwards, onwards”, usually with verbs of motion, and also forwards in time, of a man who can think both backwards and forwards.^[2][4][7]

Semantic evolution

It was the Epic, Ionic and poetic word, and LSJ notes that Thucydides never uses it and that later Attic preferred πόρρω (pórrhō).^[2] With a genitive it meant “far into” something, and figuratively “far ahead” in virtue, wisdom or wickedness (Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plato); τὸ πρόσω was “forwards”, and Aeschylus uses it for the time ahead.^[4]

It survived into medieval Greek as a learned and nautical word.^[8] In Modern Greek it is a learned word used mainly in the naval command πρόσω ολοταχώς (próso olotachós), “full speed ahead”.^[9][10]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses πρόσσω and πρόσω for “forwards”.^[2][7]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses the form πόρσω.^[2][7][11]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses τὸ πρόσω for “forwards” and the word with a genitive, “far into”.^[4][11]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it figuratively, “far ahead” in a quality.^[4][11]
• 1100–1669 – Medieval texts use it as a learned and nautical word.^[8]
• Modern Greek – It lives on in the naval command “full speed ahead”.^[9][10]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Forwards, onwards, further.^[2][4]
2. (with genitive) Far into; figuratively, far ahead in.^[4]
3. In front, ahead (of position or facing).^[4]
4. Forward in time, hereafter.^[4]

Related words

• πρό (pró)
• πόρσω (pórsō)
• πόρρω (pórrhō)
• ὀπίσω (opísō)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
7. ^ a b c Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
11. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge