protagonist
[proh-tag-uh-nist]
- the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
- a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.
- the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.
- the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.Compare deuteragonist, tritagonist.
- Physiology. agonist.
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Origin of protagonist
1665–75; < Greek prōtagōnistḗs actor who plays the first part, literally, first combatant, equivalent to prôt(os) first + agōnistḗs one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor. See proto-, antagonist
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
protagonist
- the principal character in a play, story, etc
- a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc
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Word Origin
C17: from Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōtos first + agōnistēs actor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for protagonism
protagonist
n.
1670s, "principal character in a story, drama, etc.," from Greek protagonistes "actor who plays the chief or first part," from protos "first" (see proto-) + agonistes "actor, competitor," from agon "contest" (see act (n.)). Meaning "leading person in any cause or contest" is from 1889. Mistaken sense of "advocate, supporter" (1935) is from misreading of Greek protos as Latin pro- "for."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
protagonist
[(proh-tag-uh-nist)]
The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.