πρό
"before", Lat. prae:
A. PREP. WITH GENIT.:
I. of Place, "before, in front of", πρὸ ἄστεος, πρὸ πυλάων Hom.; οὐρανόθι πρό Il.; χωρεῖν πρὸ δόμων "to come out in front of", Soph.
2. "before, in front of", for the purpose of shielding or guarding, στῆναι πρὸ Τρώων Il.:— "in defence of, for", μάχεσθαι πρὸ γυναικῶν id=Il.; ὀλέσθαι πρὸ πόληος, Lat. pro patria mori, id=Il.
3. πρὸ ὁδοῦ "further on" the road, i. e. "forwards, onward", Il.: (hence φροῦδος).
II. of Time, "before", πρὸ γάμοιο Od.; πρὸ ὁ τοῦ (= ὁ πρὸ τοῦ) ἐνόησεν one "before" the other, Il.; πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου Plat., etc.; πρὸ πολλοῦ long "before", Hdt.; τὸ πρὸ τούτου "before" this, "before", Thuc.; πρὸ τοῦ (often written προτοῦ) "before", Hdt., attic
III. in other relations:
1. of Preference, "before, sooner or rather than", κέρδος πρὸ δίκας αἰνῆσαι to praise sleight "before" right, Pind.; πᾶν πρὸ τῆς παρεούσης λύπης anything "before, rather than" their actual grievance, Hdt.; πρὸ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι to esteem "above" much, i. e. very highly, Isocr.; so, πρὸ πολλῶν χρημάτων τιμᾶσθαι Thuc.: redundant, after a comp., ἡ τυραννὶς πρὸ ἐλευθερίης ἀσπαστότερον Hdt.
2. of Cause or Motive, Lat. prae, for, out of, from, πρὸ φόβοιο "for" fear, Il.; πρὸ τῶνδε there "fore", Soph.
B. POSITION: never after its case, except after the epic gen. Ἰλιόθι πρό, οὐρανόθι πρό, ἠῶθι πρό.
C. πρό, absol. as adv.:
I. of Place, "before, in front, forth, forward", Il.
II. of Time, "before, beforehand", Od.: "before, earlier", Hes.: "prematurely", Aesch.
III. with other Preps. ἀποπρό, διαπρό, ἐπιπρό, περιπρό, προπρό, it strengthens the first prep.
D. πρό IN COMPOS.
I. with Substs., to denote
1. "position before or in front", πρόθυρον, προπύλαια.
2. "priority of rank", πρόεδρος; or "of order", προοίμιον.
3. standing in another's place, πρόμαντις, πρόξενος.
II. with Adjs., to denote
1. "proximity, readiness", πρόχειρος, πρόθυμος.
2. "forth from", προθέλυμνος, πρόρριζος.
3. "prematureness", πρόμοιρος, πρόωρος.
III. with Verbs,
1. of Place, "before, forwards", προβαίνω, προβάλλω: also "before, in defence", προκινδυνεύω.
2. "forth", προέλκω, προφέρω:—also "publicly", προειπεῖν.
3. giving "away", προδίδωμι.
4. "before, in preference", προαιροῦμαι, προτιμάω.
5. "before, beforehand", προαισθάνομαι, προνοέω, προοράω.