πρότερος πρότερος and πρῶτος comp. and Sup. formed from πρό as Lat. prior, primus, from prae. comp. πρότερος, η, ον of Place, before, in front, forward, Il.; πόδες πρ. the fore feet, Od. of Time, before, former, sooner, Hom., etc.; οἱ πρότεροι men of former times, Il.; πρότερος γενεῇ Il.; but, πρ. παῖδες children by the first or a former marriage, Od.; τῇ προτέρῃ (sc. ἡμέρᾳ) on the day before, Lat. pridie, Od.; ὁ πρότερος Διονύσιος Dionysius the elder, Xen.:—the adj. is often used where we use the adv., ὅ με πρότερος κάκʼ ἔοργεν Il., etc. as a regular comp., c. gen., Il., Hdt., etc.; also foll. by ἤ, τῷ προτέρῳ ἔτεϊ ἢ κρητῆρα ἐληίσαντο Hdt. of Rank, Worth, and generally of Precedence, before, above, superior, Dem.; πρ. τινος πρός τι superior to him in a thing, Plat. 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, 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 Hdt. Sup. πρῶτος, η, ον, contr. from *πρόατος, Doric πρᾶτος, adj. first, serving as the ordinal to the cardinal εἷς, Hom. of Place, first, foremost, ἐνὶ πρώτοισι or μετὰ πρώτοισι alone, Il.; ἐν πρώτῳ ῥυμῷ at the front or end of the pole, Il.; πρώτῃσι θύρῃσι at the first or outermost doors, Il. of Time, πρὸς πρώτην ἕω at first dawn, Soph. of Order, πρῶτοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων Hdt.; τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν Hdt.:— ἐν πρώτοις, among the first, then like Lat. imprimis, above all, especially, greatly, Hdt.; in Attic, ἐν τοῖς πρῶτοι (v. τό A. IV. 7):—in late Greek it is even foll. by a gen., πρῶτός μου NTest. of Rank, μετὰ πρώτοισιν among the first men of the state, Od., etc. neut. pl. πρῶτα, ων, τά, (sc. ἆθλα) , the first prize, Il., Soph. the first part, beginning, τῆς Ἰλιάδος τὰ πρ. Plat., etc. 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. as adv., τὴν πρώτην (sc. ὥραν, ὁδόν) first, at present, just now, Hdt., etc.; so, τὴν πρώτην εἶναι, like ἑκὼν εἶναι, at first, Hdt. with Preps., ἀπὸ πρώτης (sc. ἀρχῆς) , Thuc. most commonly in neut. sg. and pl., πρῶτον, πρῶτα, first, in the first place, Lat. primum, Hom., etc. = πρότερον, before, Xen., Anth. 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. adv. πρώτως, Arist., etc.