πρίν

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• πρείν (preín)

Etymology

Appears to be related to πρό (pró), Latin prior, priscus and Lithuanian prie, but the origin is uncertain.

Pronunciation

Adverb

πρῐ́ν or πρῑ́ν • (prín or prī́n)

1. before, sooner, formerly
   1. (of future time, with future indicative)
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.29
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.283
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.198
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.551
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.117
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 11.330
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 14.155
      • 421 BCE, Aristophanes, Peace 1076
      • 421 BCE, Aristophanes, Peace 1112
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.800
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.250
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.413
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.254
   2. (of past time) formerly, once
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.112
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.19
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 23.827
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.724
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 3.408
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.54
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.105
      • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 16.208
      • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 443
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.129
      • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 75E
      • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 151
      • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 69
      • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 1224
      • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.62
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.37
      • 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 547C
      • 500 BCE – 400 BCE, Bacchylides, Collected Works 12.114
      • 500 BCE – 400 BCE, Bacchylides, Collected Works 15.13
      • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 4.43
      • 75 CE, Josephus, The Jewish War 1.6.1
      • 100 CE – 200 CE, Theodotion, Susanna 42
      • 160 CE – 210 CE, Sextus Empiricus, Against the Mathematicians 9.371
      • 86 CE – 160 CE, Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 3.18.6
      • 160 CE – 210 CE, Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism 7.162
      • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Tobit 14.15
      • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Stephanus 2 21

Descendants

• Greek: πριν (prin)

Conjunction

πρῐ́ν or πρῑ́ν • (prín or prī́n)

1. before that, before
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.98
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 7.481
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 19.475
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.355
   • 416 BCE, Euripides, Herakles 605
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 2.348
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 8.453
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 19.586
   • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 620
   • 440 BCE – 390 BCE, Andocides, Against Alcibiades 17
   • 341 BCE, Demosthenes, Third Philippic 61
   • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 199
   • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 62C
   • 389 BCE – 314 BCE, Aeschines, Against Timarchus 10
   • 440 BCE – 390 BCE, Andocides, Against Alcibiades 1
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 5.2.9
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.9
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.4.23
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.1.10
   • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 2.92
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.128
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.219
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 16.322
   • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, Against the Stepmother for Poisoning 29
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 4.79
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 4.104
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 6.97
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 8.12
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.1.21
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 2.4.25
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 5.288
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 22.266
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.136
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.165
   • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 5.61
   • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, Against Andocides 11
   • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, Panegyricus 19
   • 396 BCE – 323 BCE, Lycurgus of Athens, Collected Works 128
   • 389 BCE – 314 BCE, Aeschines, On the Embassy 132
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.4.23
   • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.5.1
   • 300 BCE – 200 BCE, Septuagint, Genesis 29.26
   1. (with infinitive)
      1. (with aorist)
         1. (after a positive clause)
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 13.172
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 8.453
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 16.322
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.210
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.668
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 6.465
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.245
            • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 2.92
            • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.9
            • 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Nemean Ode 8.19
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 6.119
            • 472 BCE, Aeschylus, The Persians 712
            • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1539
            • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 120
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 396
            • 438 BCE, Euripides, Alcestis 281
            • 424 BCE, Aristophanes, The Knights 258
            • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, On the Murder of Herodes 67
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.125
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.1.7
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 350B
            • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 1069
            • 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 524
            • c. 440 BCE, Euripides, Rhesus 684
            • 405 BCE, Aristophanes, The Frogs 481
         2. (after a negative clause)
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 1.98
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 19.423
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.128
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.747
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 1419
            • 440 BCE – 390 BCE, Andocides, Against Alcibiades 8
            • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, On the Property of Aristophanes 28
            • 349 BCE, Demosthenes, Third Olynthiac 12
            • 396 BCE – 323 BCE, Lycurgus of Athens, Collected Works 135
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 8.1.38
            • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, To Philip 70
            • 480 BCE – 406 BCE, Euripides, Fragments 453.6
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 632
            • 438 BCE, Euripides, Alcestis 362
            • c. 440 BCE, Euripides, Rhesus 61
            • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, On the Property of Aristophanes 55
            • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 94
            • 416 BCE, Euripides, Herakles 605
            • 346 BCE, Demosthenes, On the Peace 15
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Oeconomicus 4.24
            • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 772
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 769E
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.165
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.9
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.50
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 6.5.23
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 61A
      2. (with present, conveying a sense of continuance)
         • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 702
         • 458 BCE, Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1067
         • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 36
         • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 20
         • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 577
         • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 1095
         • 411 BCE, Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae 380
         • 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, The Acharnians 383
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.3
         • 440 BCE – 390 BCE, Andocides, Against Alcibiades 1
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.24
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 666A
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 2.4.25
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.2.40
      3. (with perfect)
         • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 79
         • 458 BCE, Euripides, Electra 1069
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.25
         • 408 BCE, Euripides, The Phoenician Women 1145
         • 414 BCE, Aristophanes, The Birds 1034
         • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 1156
         • 421 BCE, Aristophanes, Peace 375
         • 425 BCE, Aristophanes, Lysistrata 322
         • 405 BCE, Aristophanes, The Frogs 1185
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 4.1.21
         • 366 BCE – 348 BCE, Plato, Theaetetus 164C
         • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Protagoras 320A
         • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 6.116
         • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 5.10
   2. (with a finite verb)
      1. (with indicative, chiefly aorist)
         • 7th–6th centuries BC, Homeric Hymn to Apollo 357
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 13.322
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 23.43
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 12.437
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.180
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.588
         1. (after negative clauses)
            • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 481
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 6.45
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.132
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.101
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 5.61
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 6.79
            • 414 BCE, Aristophanes, The Birds 700
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.4.23
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 4.5.13
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 5.4.58
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 266A
            • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians 12.5
            • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 86D
            • 366 BCE – 348 BCE, Plato, Theaetetus 165E
            • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Leptines 96
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 2.5.33
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.51
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.29
            • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, Against the Stepmother for Poisoning 19
            • 440 BCE – 390 BCE, Andocides, Against Alcibiades 17
            • 341 BCE, Demosthenes, Third Philippic 61
         2. (after positive clauses)
            • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 481
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.118
            • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 776
            • 424 BCE, Euripides, Hecuba 131
            • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 1173
            • 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 1147
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.104
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.39
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.71
      2. (with subjunctive, after negatives)
         • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, Panegyricus 173
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 10.175
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.135
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 18.190
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 24.781
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 2.374
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 4.477
         1. (with aorist, expressing an action preceding the action of the antecedent)
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.117
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.82
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 3.109
            • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 756
            • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 166
            • 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 177
            • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 909
            • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 48
            • 406 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1041
            • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1529
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 2
            • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 276
            • 431 BCE, Euripides, Medea 680
            • 438 BCE, Euripides, Alcestis 1145
            • 407 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 324
            • 413 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 19
            • 413 BCE, Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 1302
            • 422 BCE, Aristophanes, The Wasps 920
            • 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, The Acharnians 176
            • 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, The Acharnians 230
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hiero 6.13
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.2.8
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.1.10
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 5.7.12
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 228C
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laches 187E
            • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 1529
            • 425 BCE, Aristophanes, Lysistrata 704
            • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 917
            • 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 619
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 742
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Ajax 965
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 608
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 946
            • 438 BCE, Euripides, Alcestis 849
            • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 1218
            • 408 BCE, Euripides, Orestes 1357
            • 391 BCE, Aristophanes, Assemblywomen 629
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 4.157
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 6.29
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedo 62C
            • 390 BCE – 322 BCE, Hyperides, In Defence of Euxenippus 4
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.19
            • 360 BCE, Plato, Timaeus 57B
            • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.10
            • 445 BCE – 380 BCE, Lysias, Against the Corn Dealers 4
            • 436 BCE – 338 BCE, Isocrates, Panegyricus 16
            • 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Demosthenes, Against Nausimachus and Xenopeithes 24
         2. (with present, rare)
            • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 1409
            • 389 BCE – 314 BCE, Aeschines, Against Timarchus 10
            • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, Against the Stepmother for Poisoning 29
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 2.2.8
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Phaedrus 271C
      3. (with optative)
         1. (representing subjective after historical tenses)
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 21.580
            • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 9.488
            • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 551
            • 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.22
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.4.14
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 6.5.19
            • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Anabasis 1.2.2
            • 400 BCE – 387 BCE, Plato, Apology 36C
         2. (by assimilation)
            • 409 BCE, Sophocles, Philoctetes 961
            • 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Women of Trachis 657
            • 6th century BC, Theognis of Megara, Elegies 126
            • 428 BCE – 347 BCE, Plato, Laws 799D
            • 429 BCE, Sophocles, Oedipus the King 505
      4. (with ἄν (án))
         • 480 BCE – 411 BCE, Antiphon of Rhamnus, On the Murder of Herodes 34
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 2.3.48
         • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Hellenica 2.4.18
      5. (without a verb)
         • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 15.394

References

• “πρίν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πρίν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “πρίν”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• πρίν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• πρίν in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “πρίν”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G4250 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • before idem, page 69.
  • ere idem, page 281.
  • erst idem, page 281.
  • formerly idem, page 339.
  • previously idem, page 639.
  • till idem, page 874.
  • yore idem, page 997.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• πρίν - ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ (since 2011) Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch) University of Chicago.