πρῶτος

Forms

πρῶτος (prôtos) m (feminine πρώτη, neuter πρῶτον); first/second declension^[1] Doric (Epicharmus, Theocritus) and Boeotian πρᾶτος (prâtos).^[2][3]

Etymology

Beekes takes it as inherited, perhaps inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃-to- (“first”), with the ordinal suffix also seen in τρίτος (trítos) and τέταρτος (tétartos).^[4][2] The root is the one in Sanskrit पूर्व (pū́rva-, “former, first”) and Lithuanian pìrmas (“first”), which have other suffixes.^[4][5][1] Chantraine notes that the ordinal suffix, the same as that of the superlative, suits a word meaning “the first” particularly well.^[2]

The Doric and Boeotian form πρᾶτος (prâtos) is the difficulty: it seems to continue *pr̥h₂-to-, with a different laryngeal, and Beekes holds that the two forms cannot be brought back to one root.^[4] Chantraine, following Lejeune, allows that a long syllabic /r̥/ could give both ⟨ρω⟩ and ⟨ρᾱ⟩, so that the two forms could coexist;^[2] Frisk explains the alternation instead as a partial assimilation to πρό (pró) and πρότερος (próteros).^[5]

Wiktionary analyses it as from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + -ατος (-atos, “superlative suffix”), Proto-Hellenic *pro-atos, comparing ἔσχατος (éskhatos, “furthest”) and ὕπατος (húpatos, “highest”).^[1] Beekes and Frisk object that such a contraction could explain the Attic-Ionic form but not the Doric one.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Homer on, of warriors in the front ranks and of a door as the outer one, and generally for the first of two or more persons or things; its neuter forms πρῶτον (prôton) and πρῶτα (prôta) serve as adverbs, “first”.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The word joins the notion of rank and importance to that of order.^[2] Homer already has compounds with it as first member, such as πρωτόγονος (prōtógonos, “first-born”), said of animals, and πρωτοτόκος (prōtotókos, “bearing for the first time”), and a new superlative, πρώτιστος (prṓtistos, “the very first”), was made on it.^[2][5] Attic formed πρωτεῖον (prōteîon, “first prize, first place”) and πρωτεύω (prōteúō, “to be first”).^[5]

In philosophy Aristotle used it for what is primary or fundamental, such as first matter or substance, and for the original, primitive form of households, cities and constitutions.^[3] In late Greek it formed the titles of officials, such as πρωτοφύλαξ (prōtophúlax).^[2]

Medieval vernacular Greek kept the word with the same form and meanings.^[6] It survives as Modern Greek πρώτος (prótos), partly as a learned form, and some of its uses copy French premier.^[7] Through proto- it has given English a word-forming element meaning “first, earliest, original”.^[8]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for the front ranks and for the first of several, and the neuter plural for a first prize.^[3][4]
• 5th century BC – Sophocles and Euripides use it of the foremost, leading men.^[3][9]
• 5th century BC – Thucydides has the compound πρωτοστάτης (prōtostátēs, “one who stands in the front rank”).^[2][9]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses the neuter for the beginning of a speech or a poem.^[3][9]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for what is primary or fundamental.^[3][9]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it with a genitive, “earlier than”.^[3][10]
• Medieval – Vernacular Greek keeps the word and its meanings.^[6]
• Modern Greek – Modern Greek πρώτος (prótos) continues it.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Foremost in position: of warriors, in the front ranks; of a door, outer.^[3]
2. First of two or more in a list or sequence; in the New Testament, with a genitive, earlier than.^[3][10]
3. Used almost as an adverb: first (of a person doing something before others).^[3]
4. Occurring first, early (of dawn).^[3]
5. First in existence: original, primitive;^[3] (philosophy) primary, fundamental.^[3]
6. First in rank or importance, leading; as a noun, a foremost man or leader.^[3][10]
7. (neuter plural) The first prize.^[3]
8. Set phrases: τὴν πρώτην (tḕn prṓtēn) “for a start”; ἐν πρώτοις (en prṓtois) “above all”.^[3]

Word family

• πάμπρωτος (pámprōtos)
• πρωτεῖον (prōteîon)
• πρώτιστος (prṓtistos)
• πρῶτον (prôton)
• πρῶτα (prôta)
• πρωτεῖος (prōteîos)
• πρωτολόγος (prōtológos)

Related words

• πρό (pró)
• πρότερος (próteros)
• English proto-

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f 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
5. ^ a b c d e Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
7. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
10. ^ a b c 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