protero-

American  

especially before a vowel, proter-.

1. a combining form meaning “earlier,” “before,” “former,” used in the formation of compound words.

   proterotype.

---

protero- British  

combining form

1. anterior or former in time, place, order, etc

   proterozoic

---

Usage

What does protero- mean? Protero- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “earlier," "before," or "former." It is very occasionally used in scientific terms.Protero- comes from Greek próteros, meaning “former” or “anterior.” The Latin cognate of próteros is prior “former, before,” which is the source of words such as prior and priority. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.What are variants of protero-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, protero- becomes proter-, as in proterandrous.

Etymology

Origin of protero-

< Greek, combining form representing próteros, comparative formed from pró; pro- ²