Where does “proto-” come from?

proto- (French) comes from Ancient Greek πρῶτος, from Ancient Greek πρό, from Proto-Indo-European pró, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

proto- (French): proto

Definitions

  1. proto

Ancestry of “proto-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekπρῶτοςfirst; earliest; foremost, most prominent
2Ancient Greekπρόbefore; before, in front, forth, forward; before,...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanprótoward, leading to
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “proto-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pró →