πρότερος

Forms

πρότερος (próteros) m (feminine προτέρᾱ, neuter πρότερον); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + -τερος (-teros, “contrastive suffix”), the opposite of ὕστερος (hústeros, “later”).^[2][1][3] The same formation is old: it matches Avestan fratara- and Old Persian fratara- “the one more in front, earlier” and a Sanskrit adjective meaning “further, future”, which Beekes treats as identical with it, all from Proto-Indo-European *pro-tero- (“further”).^[2][4][3] The superlative is πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”).^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Homer uses it both of place, of the forefeet of an animal, and above all of time, for men of former days, an earlier marriage or the day before.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective often stands where English uses an adverb, as in “he struck first”.^[5][6] After Homer its neuter πρότερον (próteron) became the usual adverb “before, earlier”, and πρότερον ἤ could stand for πρίν (prín) “before”.^[5][7] It also meant “superior” in rank or worth, as in the orators and Plato.^[5][6]

In the New Testament it means “earlier, former”, as of one's former way of life.^[8] Medieval Greek kept it as a learned word.^[9] In Modern Greek πρότερος (próteros) is learned, mostly in the phrase εκ των προτέρων “beforehand”, the opposite of εκ των υστέρων.^[10] English made from it the learned element protero- “former, earlier”.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad uses it of men of former times and of an older brother; the Odyssey of forefeet.^[5][6]
• 5th century BC – Pindar and Herodotus use the neuter πρότερον as an adverb.^[5]
• 4th century BC – The orators use it of superiority in birth or power.^[5][6]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament speaks of the “former” way of life.^[8]
• Modern Greek – The learned phrase εκ των προτέρων means “beforehand”.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (of place) In front, fore: the forefeet, horses in the lead.^[5][6]
2. (of time) Former, earlier, and in the plural “men of old”, predecessors.^[5][6]
3. Previous, preceding: a former wife, the day before.^[6][5]
4. Elder, older in birth.^[6][5]
5. Used predicatively for an adverb: first, before another.^[5][6]
6. With the genitive or ἤ: before, earlier than.^[5]
7. Superior in rank or worth; having the better claim.^[5][6]

Adverb

1. (neuter πρότερον) Before, earlier, formerly.^[5][7]

Word family

• προτερέω (proteréō)

Related words

• πρό (pró)
• πρῶτος (prôtos)
• ὕστερος (hústeros)
• English protero-

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b 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
3. ^ a b Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
4. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
9. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com