Where does “Prometheus” come from?
Prometheus derives from Ancient Greek Προμηθεύς, composed of the prefix pro- and μανθάνω, ultimately tracing through Proto-Indo-European roots pro-, bʰuH-, and dʰeh₁-.
Ancestry of “Prometheus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | Promēthe͡us | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Προμηθεύς | Prometheus |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | προμηθής | forethinking; having forethought |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πρό- | in front of; before |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πρό | before; before, in front, forth, forward; before,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pró | toward, leading to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |