πρίν formed with a comparative force from πρό: adv. of Time, before, of future time, before that time, sooner, with fut. Ind. or Subj. = fut., Hom.: with Opt. and κεν, Od. of past time, aforetime, formerly, once, erst, Hom.; so with the Art., τὸ πρίν γε . . , νῦν δὲ . . ; νῦν δὲ . . τὸ πρίν γε Il.:—with the Art. the Part. ὤν is omitted, τὰ πρὶν πελώρια (sc. ὄντα) the giants of old, Aesch.; ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ Soph.; ἐν τοῖς πρὶν λόγοις Thuc. πρὶν ἤ, as Conjunction, before that, before, ere, priusquam, Hom.; but ἤ is often omitted, so that πρίν becomes a Conjunction: the antecedent clause also has πρίν (or πρότερον, πρόσθεν, πάρος) , so that πρίν the Conjunction is relat. to πρίν the adv., especially after a negat.:—it is constructed with Inf., ναῖε δὲ Πήδαιον, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν Il.; οὐδὲ παύσεται χόλου, πρὶν κατασκῆψαί τινα Eur. with a finite Verb: with Ind., in which case Hom. uses πρίν γʼ ὅτε, πρίν γʼ ὅτε δή, until, μάχη τέτατο, πρίν γʼ ὅτε δὴ Ζεὺς κῦδος Ἕκτορι δῶκε Il.; so, οὐκ ἦν ἀλέξημʼ οὐδέν, πρίν γʼ ἐγὼ σφίσιν ἔδειξα Aesch. with Subj. only after negatives or equiv. of neg., οὐ καταδυσόμεθʼ, πρὶν μόρσιμον ἦμαρ ἐπέλθῃ we will not go down, till the day of death come on, Od.;—in Attic πρὶν ἄν is regular, οὐδέν ἐστι τέρμα μοι μόχθων, πρὶν ἂν Ζεὺς ἐκπέσῃ τυραννίδος Aesch.; but ἄν is sometimes omitted, μὴ στέναζε, πρὶν μάθῃς Soph.; as always with πρὶν ἤ, πρὶν ἢ ἀνορθώσωσι Hdt. with Opt., after historical tenses, οὐκ ἔθελεν φεύγειν πρὶν πειρήσαιτʼ Ἀχιλῆος Il.; ἔδοξέ μοι μὴ ποιεῖσθαι, πρὶν φράσαιμί σοι Soph.