proto-
Language: English
Part of speech: prefix
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.təʊ/
ipa: /pɹoʊ.toʊ/
ipa: [pɹoʊ.ɾoʊ]
Forms: form: prot-
form: Proto-
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combination form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
Senses: examples: text: protophysics, protometal, protoword
text: 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.
ref: 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:
glosses: An early, primitive stage of development.
examples: text: protograph, protolacteal, prototype, protoplasm
glosses: Original, older.
examples: text: protogynous, protandrous
glosses: First in order; which stage is first.
examples: text: protoderm, protocneme
glosses: Primary.
examples: text: All Indo-European languages from Albanian to Zazaki are descended from Proto-Indo-European.
topics: biology
genetics
human-sciences
linguistics
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
glosses: Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of.
examples: text: protoxide, protosulfide, protiodide
topics: chemistry
inorganic-chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A minimal proportion of a particular substance when in a combination. See protosalt.
examples: text: protophilic, protolysis
topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Relating to protons and/or positive charge.
examples: text: proto-calcium; proto-magnesium
topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A proto-metal.
examples: text: prototroch, protoconid, protoconule
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Anterior.
Synonyms: sense: primitive
word: atelo-
sense: original
word: ur-
sense: first stage
word: eka-
sense: primary
word: arch-
sense: primary
word: archi-
sense: primary
word: archo-
sense: common ancestor
word: cen-
sense: minimal
word: meio-
word: antero-
Coordinate terms: word: deutero-
word: deuter-
word: trito-
word: trit-
word: tetarto-
word: tetart-
topics: linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: eteo-
Derived terms: word: protocarbonate
word: protosymbol
word: protosymbolic
word: protosymbolism
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: protoethics
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: protoindustrial
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: protophysics
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: protoplasm
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: prototype
sense: words in which it has the meaning "first"
word: protozoon
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Baltic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Celtic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Czech
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Germanic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Greek
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Indo-Aryan
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Indo-European
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Indo-Iranian
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Italic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Kiranti
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: proto-language
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Norse
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Oceanic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Pontic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Semitic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Slavic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Turkic
sense: in linguistics, proto-languages
word: Proto-Uralic