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proto- Definition

proto- (prōt′ō, -ə)

  1. first in time, original, primitive protoplast
  2. first in importance, principal, chief protonotary
  3. prehistoric or original: said of a people or language Proto-Germanic
    1. on the way to becoming the (specified) thing or kind of person proto-suburbia, a proto-terrorist
    2. on the way to having the (specified) quality or relationship a proto-Cubist painting
  5. Chem.
    1. being that member of a series of compounds having the lowest proportion of the (specified) element or radical protoxide
    2. being the parent form of a (specified) substance

Etymology: Gr prōto- < prōtos, first < IE *pṛto- < base *pro-, early, ahead > L pro-, Gr pro-