proto-
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proto-¹
- /ˈpɹəʊ.təʊ/ UK
- /pɹoʊ.toʊ/ US
- [pɹoʊ.ɾoʊ] US
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combination form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).
prefix prot- · Proto-
- An early, primitive stage of development. protophysics, protometal, protoword
- Original, older. protograph, protolacteal, prototype, protoplasm
-
First in order; which stage is first.
protogynous, protandrous
Similar: eka-
- Primary. protoderm, protocneme
-
Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of.
All Indo-European languages from Albanian to Zazaki are descended from Proto-Indo-European.
Similar: cen-
-
A minimal proportion of a particular substance when in a combination. See protosalt.
protoxide, protosulfide, protiodide
Similar: meio-
- Relating to protons and/or positive charge. protophilic, protolysis
-
A proto-metal.
proto-calcium; proto-magnesium
Similar: antero-
- Anterior. prototroch, protoconid, protoconule
Proto-²
prefix
- Alternative letter-case form of proto- (“used for proper names of protolanguages and their associated people”).
Translations
Talk about this word "proto-." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/proto-. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. proto-. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/proto- "proto-." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/proto-.Cite this
@misc{proto_2026,
title = {proto-},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/proto-},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
