πρᾷος

See also: πράος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

πρᾶος (prâos) — Attic
πρᾳῠ̈́ς (prāiŭ̈́s), πρᾱῠ̈́ς (prāŭ̈́s) — Doric, but otherwise poetic or literary in Attic and Koine
πρηῠ̈́ς (prēŭ̈́s) — Epic, Ionic

Etymology

Probably from earlier πρᾳῠ̈́ς (prāiŭ̈́s), regularly derived from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-i-u-, from *preh₂- (“to like, feel friendly/well-disposed”).^[1] Cognate with Latvian prieks (“joy”), Old Church Slavonic приꙗзнь (prijaznĭ, “friendship”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “dear, beloved”), Welsh rhydd (“free”), Old English frēo (English free.)

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /prâːi̯.os/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpra.os/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpra.os/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpra.os/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpra.os/

Adjective

πρᾷος • (prāîos) m (feminine πρᾱεῖᾰ or πρᾳεῖᾰ, neuter πρᾷον); first/second declension

soft; gentle
- Homeric Hymns, Homeric Hymn to Ares 10:
  πρηῢ καταστίλβων σέλας ὑψόθεν ἐς βιότητα ἡμετέρην
  prēǜ katastílbōn sélas hupsóthen es biótēta hēmetérēn
  Shed down a soft ray from above upon my life!
- 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.71:
  ὃς Συρακόσσαισι νέμει βασιλεὺς πραῢς ἀστοῖς
  hòs Surakóssaisi némei basileùs praǜs astoîs
  [...] the king who rules Syracuse, gentle to his citizens [...]
tame
- c. 370 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.4.9:
  τὸν Χάλον ποταμόν, ὄντα τὸ εὖρος πλέθρου, πλήρη δ’ ἰχθύων μεγάλων καὶ πραέων
  tòn Khálon potamón, ónta tò eûros pléthrou, plḗrē d’ ikhthúōn megálōn kaì praéōn
  [...] the Chalus river, which is a plethrum in width and full of large, tame fish [...]
mild
- 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 888a:
  πῶς τούτους ἄν τις ἐν πρᾳέσι λόγοις δύναιτο νουθετῶν
  pôs toútous án tis en prāiési lógois dúnaito nouthetôn
  How, I ask, can one possibly use mild terms in admonishing such men?

Usage notes

An irregular hybrid in Attic during the Classical period, with suppletive forms:

The masculine πρᾷος (prāîos) and neuter πρᾷον (prāîon) are regular.
The expected feminine **πρᾷᾱ (**prāîā) is not used, instead being suppleted by πρᾱεῖᾰ (prāeîă), as though the masculine were πρᾱῠ̈́ς (prāŭ̈́s). The variant πρᾳεῖᾰ (prāieîă) with an added iota subscript occasionally occurs, presumably formed by analogy with the masculine and neuter.
Further suppletion by πρᾱῠ̈́ς (prāŭ̈́s) sometimes occurs in the masculine and neuter plural (but not the singular), but the regular forms predominate until the Koine period.
The non-suppletive forms of πρᾱῠ̈́ς (prāŭ̈́s) were not widely used in Attic, but may occasionally be found in Lyric and Epic poetry.

Declension

First and third declension of πρᾷος; πρᾱεῖᾰ / πρᾳεῖᾰ; πρᾷον (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	πρᾷος prāîos	πρᾱεῖᾰ πρᾳεῖᾰ prāeîă prāieîă	πρᾷον prāîon	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾱείᾱ πρᾳείᾱ prāeíā prāieíā	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾷοι πρᾳεῖς prāîoi prāieîs	πρᾱεῖαι πρᾳεῖαι prāeîai prāieîai	πρᾷᾰ πρᾳέᾰ prāîă prāiéă
Genitive	πρᾴου prāíou	πρᾱείᾱς πρᾳείᾱς prāeíās prāieíās	πρᾴου prāíou	πρᾴοιν prāíoin	πρᾱείαιν πρᾳείαιν prāeíain prāieíain	πρᾴοιν prāíoin	πρᾴων πρᾳέων prāíōn prāiéōn	πρᾱειῶν πρᾳειῶν prāeiôn prāieiôn	πρᾴων πρᾳέων prāíōn prāiéōn
Dative	πρᾴῳ prāíōi	πρᾱείᾳ πρᾳείᾳ prāeíāi prāieíāi	πρᾴῳ prāíōi	πρᾴοιν prāíoin	πρᾱείαιν πρᾳείαιν prāeíain prāieíain	πρᾴοιν prāíoin	πρᾴοις πρᾳέσῐ πρᾳέσῐν prāíois prāiésĭ(n)	πρᾱείαις πρᾳείαις prāeíais prāieíais	πρᾴοις πρᾳέσῐ πρᾳέσῐν prāíois prāiésĭ(n)
Accusative	πρᾷον prāîon	πρᾱεῖᾰν πρᾳεῖᾰν prāeîăn prāieîăn	πρᾷον prāîon	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾱείᾱ πρᾳείᾱ prāeíā prāieíā	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾴους πρᾳεῖς prāíous prāieîs	πρᾱείᾱς πρᾳείᾱς prāeíās prāieíās	πρᾷᾰ πρᾳέᾰ prāîă prāiéă
Vocative	πρᾷε prāîe	πρᾱεῖᾰ πρᾳεῖᾰ prāeîă prāieîă	πρᾷον prāîon	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾱείᾱ πρᾳείᾱ prāeíā prāieíā	πρᾴω prāíō	πρᾷοι πρᾳεῖς prāîoi prāieîs	πρᾱεῖαι πρᾳεῖαι prāeîai prāieîai	πρᾷᾰ πρᾳέᾰ prāîă prāiéă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	πρᾴως πρᾳέως πρᾳόνως prāíōs prāiéōs prāiónōs			πρᾳότερος πρᾳῠ̈́τερος prāióteros prāiŭ̈́teros			πρᾳότᾰτος πρᾳῠ̈́τᾰτος prāiótătos prāiŭ̈́tătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Antonyms

τρᾱχῠ́ς (trākhŭ́s)
χᾰλεπός (khălepós)

Derived terms

ᾰ̓ποπρᾱῠ̈́νω (ăpoprāŭ̈́nō)
αὐτοπρᾱότης (autoprāótēs)
δῐᾰπρᾱῠ̈́νω (dĭăprāŭ̈́nō)
ἐκπρᾱῠ̈́νω (ekprāŭ̈́nō)
ἐπῐπρᾱῠ̈́νω (epĭprāŭ̈́nō)
κᾰτᾰπρᾱῠ̈́νω (kătăprāŭ̈́nō)
πολῠ́πρᾱος (polŭ́prāos)
πρᾱέως (prāéōs)
πρᾱόνως (prāónōs)
πρᾱοπᾰθέω (prāopăthéō)
πρᾱοπᾰθῶ (prāopăthô)
πρᾱότης (prāótēs)
πρᾱῠ̈́γελως (prāŭ̈́gelōs)
πρᾱῠ̈θῡμέω (prāŭ̈thūméō)
πρᾱῠ̈θῡμῐ́ᾱ (prāŭ̈thūmĭ́ā)
πρᾱῠ̈́θῡμος (prāŭ̈́thūmos)
πρᾱῠ̈θῡμῶ (prāŭ̈thūmô)
πρᾱῠ̈λόγος (prāŭ̈lógos)
πρᾱῠ̈́λογος (prāŭ̈́logos)
πρᾱῠ̈μενής (prāŭ̈menḗs)
πρᾱῠ̈μενῶς (prāŭ̈menôs)
πρᾱῠ̈́μητῐς (prāŭ̈́mētĭs)
πρᾱῠ̈́νοος (prāŭ̈́noos)
πρᾱ́ῠ̈νσῐς (prā́ŭ̈nsĭs)
πρᾱῠ̈ντέον (prāŭ̈ntéon)
πρᾱῠ̈ντής (prāŭ̈ntḗs)
πρᾱῠ̈ντῐκός (prāŭ̈ntĭkós)
πρᾱῠ̈́νω (prāŭ̈́nō)
πρᾱῠ̈πᾰ́θειᾱ (prāŭ̈pắtheiā)
πρᾱῠ̈πᾰθέω (prāŭ̈păthéō)
πρᾱῠ̈πᾰθής (prāŭ̈păthḗs)
πρᾱῠ̈πᾰθῐ́ᾱ (prāŭ̈păthĭ́ā)
πρᾱῠ̈πᾰθῶ (prāŭ̈păthô)
πρᾱῠ̈σμός (prāŭ̈smós)
πρᾱῠ̈τένων (prāŭ̈ténōn)
πρᾱῠ̈́της (prāŭ̈́tēs)
πρᾱῠ̈́τοκος (prāŭ̈́tokos)
πρᾱῠ̈́τροπος (prāŭ̈́tropos)
πρᾱῠ̈́φρων (prāŭ̈́phrōn)
πρᾱ́ως (prā́ōs)
πρευμενής (preumenḗs)
σῠμπρᾱῠ̈́νομαι (sŭmprāŭ̈́nomai)
ῠ̔ποπρᾱῠ̈́νω (hŭpoprāŭ̈́nō)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “πρᾶος, -ον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1228