proto-
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combination form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
Prefix
proto-
- An early, primitive stage of development.
- 2022 November 6, Emma Garland, “Aaron Carter was the millennium’s bubblegum bad boy – and the victim of a rapacious music industry”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
- In many ways, both good and bad, he was a proto-Justin Bieber—a teenage dream to be bought and sold, with what would turn out to be very little regard for his own humanity.
- Original, older.
- (ordinal) First in order; which stage is first.
- Primary.
- (linguistics, genetics) Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of.
- All Indo-European languages from Albanian to Zazaki are descended from Proto-Indo-European.
- (inorganic chemistry) A minimal proportion of a particular substance when in a combination. See protosalt.
- (chemistry) Relating to protons and/or positive charge.
- (anatomy) Anterior.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- protocarbonate
- protosymbol
- protosymbolic
- protosymbolism
- protoethics
- protophysics
- protoplasm
- prototype
- protoindustrial
- protozoon
Translations
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Italian
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combining form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
Usage notes
- Also prot- before a vowel.
Derived terms
Latvian
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combining form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
Usage notes
- Also prot- before a vowel
Derived terms
Polish
Etymology
Derived from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈprɔ.tɔ/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔtɔ
- Syllabification: pro‧to
Derived terms
See also
Further reading
- proto- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combining form of πρῶτος (prôtos) "first", superlative of πρό (pró) "before".
Derived terms
Romanian
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combining form of πρῶτος (prôtos) "first", superlative of πρό (pró) "before".
Derived terms
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combining form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
Derived terms
Further reading
- “proto-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014