πρός

See also: προς and προσ-

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

προτί (protí) — Epic
πορτί (portí) — Cretan
πρές (prés) — Aeolic
πέρτι (pérti) — Pamphylian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *próti, *préti. Cognates include Sanskrit प्रति (práti), Latin pretium, and Old Church Slavonic противъ (protivŭ). May be related to πρό (pró, “before”).^[1]

Equivalent prepositions in use for πρός (prós) from another root are ποτί (potí) — Epic, Doric, ποί (poí) — Doric, πός (pós) — Arcadocypriot.

The genitive is an innovated Greek associative. The dative is from the PIE locative. The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional, with some of the metaphorical uses like παρά (pará).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /prós/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /pros/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /pros/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /pros/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /pros/

Adverb

πρός • (prós)

besides, over and above, thereto, in addition

Preposition

πρός • (prós) (governs the genitive, dative, and accusative)

(expressing direction) on the side of, from, at, to, forward to, toward
1. from, on the side of, towards, pertaining to, at the hand of, by [with genitive]
  1. (mostly in religious formulas) before, in presence of, in the eyes of, in the sight of, in the name of
  2. (derivable from) agreeable to, becoming, like
2. (with dative, expressing proximity) hard by, near to, at, among
  1. off (a coast or island), bordering on (countries, peoples)
  2. before, in presence of (of people)
  3. (with verbs of motion) towards, upon, against
  4. (expressing close engagement) at the point of, engaged in
  5. (expressing union or addition) besides, in addition to
3. (with accusative, expressing motion or direction) towards
  1. (with verbs implying motion) upon, against
  2. (expressing addition) over and above
  3. (with verbs of seeing) towards, facing sth., to, against (the wind), in the light of, in (e.g. open day)
  4. (in hostile or discursive sense) against, in reply to, in accusation
  5. (for various kinds of intercourse or reciprocal action) with, (have certain feelings) towards, at the hands of, of, inspired by
  6. before (a gremium, witness etc.), in the eyes of (a God etc.) (of legal or other business contracted)
  7. towards (the evening etc.), at, about (of time)
  8. relating to, in reference to, in respect of, touching (some matter); in consequence of, in view of (some fact); according to (a certain document, habitude etc.)
  9. (music) accompanied by (an instrument)
  10. (in various adverbial phrases) with, under (e.g. compulsion), by means of, in (e.g. due proportion)

Descendants

Greek: προς (pros)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πρός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1238

“πρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“πρός”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
“πρός”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
πρός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
πρός in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
“πρός”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
G4314 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
πρός in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πρός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1238

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