πρῶτος

See also: πρωτός and πρώτος

Ancient Greek

**Ancient Greek numbers ^(edit)**
	10
	α’ 1	2 →	10 →
Cardinal: εἷς (heîs) Ordinal: πρῶτος (prôtos) Adverbial: ᾰ̔́πᾰξ (hắpăx) Collective: μονᾰ́ς (monắs)

Alternative forms

πρᾶτος (prâtos) — Doric

Etymology

From πρό (pró, “before”) +‎ -ᾰτος (-ătos, superlative suffix), from Proto-Hellenic *pro-atos.^[1] Compare ἔσχᾰτος (éskhătos, “furthest”) and ῠ̔́πᾰτος (hŭ́pătos, “highest”).

Potentially also from a Proto-Indo-European *pr̥H- or *per-, with cognates including Lithuanian pirmas, Sanskrit पूर्व (pūrva), and Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬬𐬀 (paurva). The ω (ō) and ᾱ (ā) forms are difficult to reconcile.^[2]

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /prɔ̂ː.tos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈpro.tos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈpro.tos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈpro.tos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈpro.tos/

Adjective

πρῶτος • (prôtos) m (feminine πρώτη, neuter πρῶτον); first/second declension

Declension

First and second declension of πρῶτος; πρώτη; πρῶτον (Attic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	πρῶτος prôtos	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Genitive	πρώτου prṓtou	πρώτης prṓtēs	πρώτου prṓtou	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώταιν prṓtain	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώτων prṓtōn	πρώτων prṓtōn	πρώτων prṓtōn
Dative	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτῃ prṓtēi	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώταιν prṓtain	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώτοις prṓtois	πρώταις prṓtais	πρώτοις prṓtois
Accusative	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτην prṓtēn	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτους prṓtous	πρώτᾱς prṓtās	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Vocative	πρῶτε prôte	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	πρῶτον πρῶτᾰ πρώτως prôton prôtă prṓtōs			—			—
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of πρῶτος; πρώτη; πρῶτον (Epic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	πρῶτος prôtos	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Genitive	πρώτοιο πρώτοο πρώτου prṓtoio prṓtoo prṓtou	πρώτης prṓtēs	πρώτοιο πρώτοο πρώτου prṓtoio prṓtoo prṓtou	πρώτοιῐ̈ν prṓtoiĭ̈n	πρώταιῐ̈ν prṓtaiĭ̈n	πρώτοιῐ̈ν prṓtoiĭ̈n	πρώτων prṓtōn	πρωτᾱ́ων πρωτέων πρωτῶν prōtā́ōn prōtéōn prōtôn	πρώτων prṓtōn
Dative	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτῃ prṓtēi	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτοιῐ̈ν prṓtoiĭ̈n	πρώταιῐ̈ν prṓtaiĭ̈n	πρώτοιῐ̈ν prṓtoiĭ̈n	πρώτοισῐ πρώτοισῐν πρώτοις prṓtoisĭ(n) prṓtois	πρώτῃσῐ πρώτῃσῐν πρώτῃς πρώταις prṓtēisĭ(n) prṓtēis prṓtais	πρώτοισῐ πρώτοισῐν πρώτοις prṓtoisĭ(n) prṓtois
Accusative	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτην prṓtēn	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτους prṓtous	πρώτᾱς prṓtās	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Vocative	πρῶτε prôte	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	πρῶτον πρῶτᾰ πρώτως prôton prôtă prṓtōs			—			—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

First and second declension of πρῶτος; πρώτη; πρῶτον (Ionic)

Number	Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	πρῶτος prôtos	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Genitive	πρώτου prṓtou	πρώτης prṓtēs	πρώτου prṓtou	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώταιν prṓtain	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώτων prṓtōn	πρωτέων πρωτῶν prōtéōn prōtôn	πρώτων prṓtōn
Dative	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτῃ prṓtēi	πρώτῳ prṓtōi	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώταιν prṓtain	πρώτοιν prṓtoin	πρώτοισῐ πρώτοισῐν prṓtoisĭ(n)	πρώτῃσῐ πρώτῃσῐν prṓtēisĭ(n)	πρώτοισῐ πρώτοισῐν prṓtoisĭ(n)
Accusative	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτην prṓtēn	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτους prṓtous	πρώτᾱς prṓtās	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Vocative	πρῶτε prôte	πρώτη prṓtē	πρῶτον prôton	πρώτω prṓtō	πρώτᾱ prṓtā	πρώτω prṓtō	πρῶτοι prôtoi	πρῶται prôtai	πρῶτᾰ prôtă
Derived forms	Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
Derived forms	πρῶτον πρῶτᾰ πρώτως prôton prôtă prṓtōs			—			—
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms may be based on conjecture. Use with caution.

Derived terms

ἑβδομηκοστόπρωτος (hebdomēkostóprōtos, “seventy-first”)
πάμπρωτος (pámprōtos)
πρωτεῖος (prōteîos)
πρωτολόγος (prōtológos)

Descendants

Greek: πρώτος (prótos)
Mariupol Greek: про́тос (prótos)
→ English: proto-
→ French: proto-
→ Italian: proto-
→ Latvian: proto-
→ Spanish: proto-

References

^ Van Beek, Lucien (2022). Greek. In T. Olander (Ed.), The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective (pp. 173-201). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108758666.013
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “πρῶτος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1245