πρότερος and
πρῶτος,
comparative and
superlative formed from πρό, opposed to ὕστερος, ὕστατος.
comparative πρότερος, α, ον,
I) of Place,
before, in front, π. πόδες the
fore-feet, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; π. ἵπποι horses
in front, [
Refs 5th c.BC+] — but mostly,
II) of Time,
former, earlier, ἄνδρες [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; οἱ π.
men of former times, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: also,
older, opposed to ὁπλότερος, [
Refs]; but παῖδες π. children
by the first or
a former marriage, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῇ προτέρῃ (i.e. ἡμέρᾳ)
on the day before, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἠοῖ τῇ π. [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τοῦ π. ἐνιαυτοῦ the year
before, [
Refs]; τοῖς π. Παναθηναίοις the
preceding P, [
Refs]; τὰ π. what has
preceded, [
Refs 3rd c.AD+]:—frequently used predicatively, sometimes where we should expect the
adverb (which is never used by [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.2) as regular
comparative, with
genitive, ἐμέο πρότερος [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῇ π. ἡμέρᾳ τῆς τροπῆς the day
before. , [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
III) of Rank, Worth, and generally of Precedence,
superior, τῷ γένει, τῇ δυνάμει, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. τινὸς πρός τι
superior to him in, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; π. τι ἄγειν, π. ποιήσασθαι τὰ σὰ πράγματα, [
Refs 4th c.AD+]
IV) after [
Refs 8th c.BC+] frequently as
adverb,
before, earlier, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀλίγον π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; πολλοῖσι ἔτεσι π. τούτων[
Refs 4th c.BC+]; also πρὸ τῶν Περσικῶν δέκα ἔτεσι π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τούτου π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: with
infinitive, π. ἢ βασιλεῦσαι [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; by πρὶν ἤ with
verb in Indic, [
Refs]; also οὐ π. εἰ μὴ. [
Refs 1st c.AD+]; οὐ π. ἕως, or ἕως ἂν, [
Refs 5th c.BC+], also,
for the first time, Ep. Gal.[
Refs 5th c.BC+]: the
adverb is frequently put between
Article and
substantive, ὁ π. βασιλεύς [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B)
superlative πρῶτος, η, ον,
Doric dialect πρᾶτος (which see):
B.I) as
adjective,
B.I.1) of Place,
foremost, πρώτοισιν ἐνὶ προμάχοισι μιγέντα [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐν πρώτοις, μετὰ πρώτοισι alone, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῆς πρώτης τάττειν (i.e. τάξεως) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν π. ῥυμῷ at
the front or
end of the pole, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; πρώτῃσι θύρῃσιν at the
outermost doors, [
Refs]; π. ξύλον the
front bench, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἱ π. πόδες, like{πρόσθιοι}, [
Refs]
B.I.2) of Time, στάντα πρὸς π. ἕω looking towards
first dawn, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.I.3) of Order, serving as ordinal to εἷς, ἄεθλα θῆκε. τῷ πρώτῳ· ἀτὰρ αὖ τῷ δευτέρῳ, αὐτὰρ τῷ τριτάτῳ, κτλ, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to τελευταῖος, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; opposed to τανύστατος, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ τοῦ π. [ἱερείου]
first-offered, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τοῖς π. λόγοις in the
earlier books, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐν πρώτοις among
the first, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; hence,
above all, especially, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; in
Attic dialect, ἐν τοῖς πρῶτοι (see. ὁ, ἡ, τό [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.I.3.b) Philos,
first in order of existence, primary, αἱ π. οὐσίαι [
Refs 4th c.BC+];
primitive, simple, οἰκία π, ἡ π. πόλις, [
Refs]; ὁ π. συλλογισμός
normal, typical, [
Refs]; τὰ π. σώματα, μόρια,= τὰ ὁμοιομερῆ, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]; πρῶτα κατὰ φύσιν, e.g. health, perception, [
Refs]
B.I.3.c) in Mathematics texts, πρῶτοι ἀριθμοί
prime numbers, [
Refs 3rd c.BC+]; but also,
first numbers (= 1 to 100,000,000) in the notation of [
Refs 3rd c.BC+]
B.I.3.d) πρῶτος is sometimes used where we should expect πρότερος, Αἰνείας δὲ πρῶτος ἀκόντισεν [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: in late Greek followed by
genitive, πρῶτός μου ἦν [
NT+2nd c.AD+]; ἀλόχου πρῶτος
before his wife, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
B.I.4) of Rank or Dignity, μετὰ πρώτοισιν among
the first men of the state, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; διαβάλλειν τοὺς π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ π. τῆς πόλεως, as a title, [
Refs]; ὁ π. τῆς νήσου [
NT]; τῶν π. φίλων, title at the Ptolemaic court, [
Refs 2nd c.BC+]; τῶν π, as military title, [
Refs 3rd c.BC+]: with
genitive, ἐν πρώτοισι Μυκηναίων [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.I.5) of Degree,
first, highest, μοῖρα [
Refs]
B.II) as
substantive in
neuter plural πρῶτα, τά,
B.II.1) (i.e. ἆθλα),
first prize, τὰ π. λαβών [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.II.2)
first part, beginning, τῆς Ἰλιάδος τὰ π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν τοῖς π. [
Refs]
B.II.3)
first, highest, in degree, τὰ π. τᾶς λιμῶ (
Doric dialect) the
extremities of famine, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; φρενῶν ἐς τὰ ἐμεωυτοῦ π. οὔκω ἀνήκω I have not yet come to the
highest development of my judgment, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; of persons, ἐὼν τῶν Ἐρετριέων τὰ π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; Λάμπων. Αἰγινητέων [ἐὼν] τὰ π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐστὶν τὰ π. τῆς ἐκεῖ μοχθηρίας (of a person) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.II.4) Philos,
primary things, elements, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.II.5) in Logic,
the first undemonstrable propositions, on which all future conclusions rest, [
Refs]
B.III) in Adverbial phrases,
B.III.1) τὴν πρώτην (i.e. ὥραν, ὁδόν)
first, for the present, just now, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.III.2) with Preps, ἀπὸ πρώτης (i.e. ἀρχῆς) [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐκ π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; παρὰ τὴν π.
the first time, opposed to ἐπὶ τῆς δευτέρας, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
B.III.3) frequently as
adverb in
neuter singular and
plural, πρῶτον, πρῶτα,
B.III.3.a)
first, in the first place, πρῶτόν τε καὶ ὕστατον (
vulgar form ὕστερον) [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τί π. τοι ἔπειτα, τί δ᾽ ὑστάτιον καταλέξ; [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; frequently answered only by δέ, [
Refs]; sometimes the answering clause must be supplied, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρῶτα μὲν, ἔπειτα δὲ. X [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπεί σε πρῶτα κιχάνω since my
first meeting is with you, [
Refs 8th c.BC+],
first, in the first place, at the beginning, ὡς τὸ π. ὑπέστην καὶ κατένευσα [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὸ μὲν οὖν π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ π, μετὰ ταῦτα. [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.b)
too early, before the time, ἦ τ᾽ ἄρα καὶ σοὶ πρῶτα (variant for{πρωΐ}) παραστήσεσθαι ἔμελλε Μοῖρ᾽ ὀλοή [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.c) ={πρότερον},
before, ἢν. πρῶτον ἀπόλωμαι κακῶς [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; θάλασσα π. ἦν ἢ γενέσθαι γῆν variant in [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
B.d)
first, for the first time, οὐ. νῦν πρῶτα ποδώκεος ἄντ᾽ Ἀχιλῆος στήσομαι [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
B.e) πρῶτον, πρῶτα are used after the
relative pronoun and after
relative adverbs, like Engl.
once (=
at all), οὐδ᾽ ἐνοσίχθων λήθετ᾽ ἀπειλάων, τὰς. Ὀδυσῆϊ π. ἐπηπείλησε [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; μοῖραν δ᾽ οὔ τινά φημι πεφυγμένον ἔμμεναι ἀνδρῶν. ἐπὴν τὰ π. γένηται when
once he is born,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; also ἐπεὶ τὸ (or τὰ) π.
now that. , ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ π. ἀνέκραγον, οὐκ ἐπικεύσω
now that I have spoken up,[
Refs 8th c.BC+]
participle, τῷ ῥ᾽ Αἴας τὸ π. ἐφεζόμενος μέγ᾽ ἀάσθη (the rock) on which
once seated Aeschylus blasphemed, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: the sense
as soon as is never necessary in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], but is possible in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; δινέμεν εὖτ᾽ ἂν πρῶτα φανῇ σθένος Ὠαρίωνος when
once (or perhaps,
as soon as), [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο πάντας ἀποκρύπτεσκε
as soon as each was born, [
Refs]; ὡς τὸ π. [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; αὖθίς με ἀνερέσθαι ὅταν ἐντύχῃς πρῶτον the
first time you meet me, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
B.IV)
adverb πρώτως
primarily, first in [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; π. καθ᾽ αὑτό, opposed to κατὰ συμβεβηκός, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
B.IV.2) ὅτε π. ἐπεδήμησεν. when he
first visited, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+] —(From πρῶτος was formed a new _superlative_ πρώτιστος, which see)