πρότερος
Etym. πρότερος and πρῶτος comp. and Sup. formed from πρό
as Lat. prior, primus, from "prae."
A. comp. πρότερος, η, ον
I. of Place, "before, in front, forward", Il.; πόδες πρ. the "fore" feet, Od.
II. of Time, "before, former, sooner", Hom., etc.; οἱ πρότεροι "men of former times", Il.; πρότερος γενεῇ id=Il.; but, πρ. παῖδες children "by the first or a former marriage", Od.; τῇ προτέρῃ (sc. ἡμέρᾳ) "on the day before", Lat. pridie, id=Od.; ὁ πρότερος Διονύσιος Dionysius "the elder", Xen.:—the adj. is often used where we use the adv., ὅ με πρότερος κάκ᾽ ἔοργεν Il., etc.
2. as a regular comp., c. gen., id=Il., Hdt., etc.; also foll. by ἤ, τῷ προτέρῳ ἔτεϊ ἢ κρητῆρα [ἐληίσαντο] Hdt.
III. of Rank, Worth, and generally of Precedence, "before, above, superior", Dem.; πρ. τινος πρός τι "superior to" him in a thing, Plat.
IV. after Hom., neut. πρότερον as adv. "before, sooner, earlier", Hdt., etc.; ὀλίγον πρ. Plat.:—c. gen., ὀλίγῳ τι πρ. τούτων Hdt., etc.; most commonly foll. by ἤ, id=Hdt., attic; also by πρίν, πρὶν ἄν, πρὶν ἤ, Hdt., attic; also used with the Art., τὸ πρ. τῶν ἀνδρῶν τούτων Hdt.: adv. often between Art. and Subst., e. g. ὁ πρότερον βασιλεύς id=Hdt.
B. Sup. πρῶτος, η, ον, contr. from *πρόατος, doric πρᾶτος,
I. adj. "first", serving as the ordinal to the cardinal εἷς, Hom.
2. of Place, "first, foremost", ἐνὶ πρώτοισι or μετὰ πρώτοισι alone, Il.; ἐν πρώτῳ ῥυμῷ "at the front or end" of the pole, id=Il.; πρώτῃσι θύρῃσι at the "first or outermost" doors, id=Il.
3. of Time, πρὸς πρώτην ἕω at "first" dawn, Soph.
4. of Order, πρῶτοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων Hdt.; τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν id=Hdt.:— ἐν πρώτοις, "among the first", then like Lat. imprimis, above all, especially, greatly, id=Hdt.; in attic, ἐν τοῖς πρῶτοι (v. τό A. IV. 7):—in late Greek it is even foll. by a gen., πρῶτός μου NTest.
5. of Rank, μετὰ πρώτοισιν among "the first men" of the state, Od., etc.
II. neut. pl. πρῶτα, ων, τά,
1. (sc. ἆθλα), "the first prize", Il., Soph.
2. "the first part, beginning", τῆς Ἰλιάδος τὰ πρ. Plat., etc.
3. "the first, highest", in degree, τὰ πρ. τᾶς λιμῶ (doric) "the extremities" of famine, Ar.; ἐς τὰ πρῶτα τιμᾶσθαι Thuc.:—of persons, ἐὼν τῶν Ἐρετριέων τὰ πρῶτα Hdt.; τὰ πρῶτα τῆς ἐκεῖ μοχθηρίας "the chief" of the rascality down there, Ar.
III. as adv.,
1. τὴν πρώτην (sc. ὥραν, ὁδόν) "first, at present, just now", Hdt., etc.; so, τὴν πρώτην εἶναι, like ἑκὼν εἶναι, "at first", id=Hdt.
2. with Preps., ἀπὸ πρώτης (sc. ἀρχῆς), Thuc.
3. most commonly in neut. sg. and pl., πρῶτον, πρῶτα,
a. "first, in the first place", Lat. primum, Hom., etc.
b. = πρότερον, "before", Xen., Anth.
4. "first, for the first time", Soph., etc.; ἐπεὶ πρῶτον, Lat. quum primum, as soon as, Hom.; so, ὁππότε κε πρῶτον Od.; ὅτε or ὅταν πρ. Dem.; ἐὰν or ἢν πρ. Plat.
IV. adv. πρώτως, Arist., etc.