πρᾶος
Ancient Greek
Etymology
Probably from earlier πραΰς (praǘs), regularly derived from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-i-u-, from *preh₂- (“to like, feel friendly/well-disposed”). Cognate with Latvian prieks (“joy”), Old Church Slavonic приꙗзнь (prijaznĭ, “friendship”), Sanskrit प्रियः (priyaḥ, “dear, beloved”), Welsh rhydd (“free”), Old English frēo (English free.)
Adjective
πρᾶος • (prâos) m (feminine πραεῖᾰ, neuter πρᾶον); first/second declension
- soft, gentle
- Homeric Hymns, Homeric Hymn to Ares 10:
- πρηῢ καταστίλβων σέλας ὑψόθεν ἐς βιότητα ἡμετέρην
- prēǜ katastílbōn sélas hupsóthen es biótēta hēmetérēn
- Shed down a soft ray from above upon my life!
- πρηῢ καταστίλβων σέλας ὑψόθεν ἐς βιότητα ἡμετέρην
- 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Pythian Ode 3.71:
- ὃς Συρακόσσαισι νέμει βασιλεὺς πραῢς ἀστοῖς
- hòs Surakóssaisi némei basileùs praǜs astoîs
- [...] the king who rules Syracuse, gentle to his citizens [...]
- ὃς Συρακόσσαισι νέμει βασιλεὺς πραῢς ἀστοῖς
- tame
- mild
Usage notes
In Attic, Tragedy, and Comedy, πρᾶος is used in the singular, except that the feminine is always πραεῖα. Forms from πραΰς (Ionic πρηΰς) are used in Epic and Lyric poetry, as well as in Xenophon, the Septuagint, Polybius, etc.
The iota subscript (viz. πρᾷος) is written in manuscripts, but not inscriptions. **πρᾳΰς does not appear. This adjective is not used in Homer.
Inflection
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | Masculine / Feminine | Neuter | ||||||||
Nominative | πρᾶος prâos |
πρᾶον prâon |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾶοι prâoi |
πρᾶᾰ prâa | ||||||||
Genitive | πρᾱ́ου prā́ou |
πρᾱ́ου prā́ou |
πρᾱ́οιν prā́oin |
πρᾱ́οιν prā́oin |
πρᾱ́ων prā́ōn |
πρᾱ́ων prā́ōn | ||||||||
Dative | πρᾱ́ῳ prā́ōi |
πρᾱ́ῳ prā́ōi |
πρᾱ́οιν prā́oin |
πρᾱ́οιν prā́oin |
πρᾱ́οις prā́ois |
πρᾱ́οις prā́ois | ||||||||
Accusative | πρᾶον prâon |
πρᾶον prâon |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾱ́ους prā́ous |
πρᾶᾰ prâa | ||||||||
Vocative | πρᾶε prâe |
πρᾶον prâon |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾱ́ω prā́ō |
πρᾶοι prâoi |
πρᾶᾰ prâa | ||||||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
πρᾱ́ως prā́ōs |
πρᾱότερος prāóteros |
πρᾱότᾰτος prāótatos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | πρᾱῠ̈́ς prāǘs |
πρᾱεῖᾰ prāeîa |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱεῖς prāeîs |
πρᾱεῖαι prāeîai |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Genitive | πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱείᾱς prāeíās |
πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱείαιν prāeíain |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱέων prāéōn |
πρᾱειῶν prāeiôn |
πρᾱέων prāéōn | |||||
Dative | πρᾱεῖ prāeî |
πρᾱείᾳ prāeíāi |
πρᾱεῖ prāeî |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱείαιν prāeíain |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱέσῐ / πρᾱέσῐν prāési(n) |
πρᾱείαις prāeíais |
πρᾱέσῐ / πρᾱέσῐν prāési(n) | |||||
Accusative | πρᾱῠ̈́ν prāǘn |
πρᾱεῖᾰν prāeîan |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱεῖς prāeîs |
πρᾱείᾱς prāeíās |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Vocative | πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱεῖᾰ prāeîa |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱεῖς prāeîs |
πρᾱεῖαι prāeîai |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱῠ̈́τερος prāǘteros |
πρᾱῠ̈́τᾰτος / πρᾱ́ῠ̈στος prāǘtatos / prā́üstos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Number | Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||||
Nominative | πρᾱῠ̈́ς prāǘs |
πρᾱεῖᾰ prāeîa |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱεῖς prāeîs |
πρᾱεῖαι prāeîai |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Genitive | πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱείᾱς prāeíās |
πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱείαιν prāeíain |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱέων prāéōn |
πρᾱειᾶν prāeiân |
πρᾱέων prāéōn | |||||
Dative | πρᾱεῖ prāeî |
πρᾱείᾳ prāeíāi |
πρᾱεῖ prāeî |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱείαιν prāeíain |
πρᾱέοιν prāéoin |
πρᾱέεσσῐ / πρᾱέεσσῐν prāéessi(n) |
πρᾱείαις prāeíais |
πρᾱέεσσῐ / πρᾱέεσσῐν prāéessi(n) | |||||
Accusative | πρᾱῠ̈́ν prāǘn |
πρᾱεῖᾰν prāeîan |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱέᾰς prāéas |
πρᾱείᾱς prāeíās |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Vocative | πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱεῖᾰ prāeîa |
πρᾱῠ̈́ prāǘ |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱείᾱ prāeíā |
πρᾱέε prāée |
πρᾱεῖς prāeîs |
πρᾱεῖαι prāeîai |
πρᾱέᾰ prāéa | |||||
Derived forms | Adverb | Comparative | Superlative | |||||||||||
πρᾱέως prāéōs |
πρᾱῠ̈́τερος prāǘteros |
πρᾱῠ̈́τᾰτος / πρᾱ́ῠ̈στος prāǘtatos / prā́üstos | ||||||||||||
Notes: |
|
Derived terms
- πραόνως (praónōs)
- πραότης (praótēs)
- πραΰγελως (praǘgelōs)
- πραΰθυμος (praǘthumos)
- πραϋλόγος (praülógos)
- πραΰμητις (praǘmētis)
- πραΰνοος (praǘnoos)
- πραΰνω (praǘnō)
- πραϋπάθεια (praüpátheia)
- πραϋπαθέω (praüpathéō)
- πραϋσμός (praüsmós)
- πραϋτένων (praüténōn)
- πραΰτοκος (praǘtokos)
- πραΰτροπος (praǘtropos)
- πρευμενής (preumenḗs)
References
- πρᾶος in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- πρᾶος in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- πρᾶος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- amiable idem, page 27.
- bland idem, page 81.
- clement idem, page 137.
- gentle idem, page 357.
- good idem, page 366.
- gracious idem, page 368.
- humane idem, page 409.
- indulgent idem, page 435.
- kind idem, page 469.
- lenient idem, page 485.
- meek idem, page 522.
- merciful idem, page 525.
- mild idem, page 529.
- pacific idem, page 588.
- patient idem, page 598.
- placable idem, page 615.
- smooth idem, page 788.
- suave idem, page 830.
- sweet idem, page 848.
- tender idem, page 861.
- 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
- Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch