Where does “protagonist” come from?
Protagonist derives from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής, from ἀγωνιστής, from ἀγών meaning contest or struggle, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots bʰuH-, per-, and -yéti.
protagonist (English): The main character, or one of the main...
Definitions
- The main character, or one of the main...
Ancestry of “protagonist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | πρωταγωνιστής | a chief actor |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πρῶτος | first; earliest; foremost, most prominent |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πρό | before; before, in front, forth, forward; before,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pró | toward, leading to |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “protagonist”