# πρᾶος
## Ancient Greek
### Alternative forms

* πρᾷος (prâios)
* πρᾱῠ̈́ς (prāŭ̈́s)
* πρηΰς (prēǘs) — Epic, Ionic

### Etymology

Probably from earlier πραΰς (praǘs), regularly derived from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-i-u-, from *preh₂- (“to like, feel friendly/well-disposed”). Cognate with Latvian prieks (“joy”), Old Church Slavonic приꙗзнь (prijaznĭ, “friendship”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “dear, beloved”), Welsh rhydd (“free”), Old English frēo (English free.)

### Adjective

πρᾶος • (prâos) m (feminine πραεῖᾰ, neuter πρᾶον); first/second declension
* soft, gentle
** Homeric Hymns, Homeric Hymn to Ares 10:πρηῢ καταστίλβων σέλας ὑψόθεν ἐς βιότητα ἡμετέρηνprēǜ katastílbōn sélas hupsóthen es biótēta hēmetérēnShed down a soft ray from above upon my life!
** 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.71:ὃς Συρακόσσαισι νέμει βασιλεὺς πραῢς ἀστοῖςhòs Surakóssaisi némei basileùs praǜs astoîs[...] the king who rules Syracuse, gentle to his citizens [...]
* tame
** 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.4.9:τὸν Χάλον ποταμόν, ὄντα τὸ εὖρος πλέθρου, πλήρη δ’ ἰχθύων μεγάλων καὶ πραέωνtòn Khálon potamón, ónta tò eûros pléthrou, plḗrē d’ ikhthúōn megálōn kaì praéōn[...] the Chalus river, which is a plethrum in width and full of large, tame fish [...]
* mild
** 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 888a:πῶς τούτους ἄν τις ἐν πρᾳέσι λόγοις δύναιτο νουθετῶνpôs toútous án tis en prāiési lógois dúnaito nouthetônHow, I ask, can one possibly use mild terms in admonishing such men?

#### Usage notes

In Attic, Tragedy, and Comedy, πρᾶος is used in the singular, except that the feminine is always πραεῖα. Forms from πραΰς (Ionic πρηΰς) are used in Epic and Lyric poetry, as well as in Xenophon, the Septuagint, Polybius, etc. The iota subscript (viz. πρᾷος) is written in manuscripts, but not inscriptions. **πρᾳΰς does not appear. This adjective is not used in Homer.

#### Antonyms

* τραχύς (trakhús)
* χαλεπός (khalepós)

#### Derived terms

* πραόνως (praónōs)
* πραότης (praótēs)
* πραΰγελως (praǘgelōs)
* πραΰθυμος (praǘthumos)
* πραϋλόγος (praülógos)
* πραΰμητις (praǘmētis)
* πραΰνοος (praǘnoos)
* πραΰνω (praǘnō)
* πραϋπάθεια (praüpátheia)
* πραϋπαθέω (praüpathéō)
* πραϋσμός (praüsmós)
* πραϋτένων (praüténōn)
* πραΰτοκος (praǘtokos)
* πραΰτροπος (praǘtropos)
* πρευμενής (preumenḗs)

#### References

* “πρᾶος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “πρᾶος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* G4239 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* πρᾶος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited. amiable idem, page 27.bland idem, page 81.clement idem, page 137.gentle idem, page 357.good idem, page 366.gracious idem, page 368.humane idem, page 409.indulgent idem, page 435.kind idem, page 469.lenient idem, page 485.meek idem, page 522.merciful idem, page 525.mild idem, page 529.pacific idem, page 588.patient idem, page 598.placable idem, page 615.smooth idem, page 788.suave idem, page 830.sweet idem, page 848.tender idem, page 861.
* Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
* Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch