proto-

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a combining form meaning “first,” “foremost,” “earliest form of,” used in the formation of compound words (protomartyr; protolithic; protoplasm), specialized in chemical terminology to denote the first of a series of compounds, or the one containing the minimum amount of an element.

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Also especially before a vowel, prot-.

Origin of proto-

<Greek, combining form representing prôtosfirst, superlative formed from pró;see pro-²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use proto- in a sentence

There are also funding and logistical imperatives for ISIS to pursue the proto-state strategy.
Iraq’s Terrorists Are Becoming a Full-Blown Army|Eli Lake, Jamie Dettmer, Nadette De Visser|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one was using Final Cut, so it was this Proto Editing program.
Casey Affleck, Star of ‘Out of the Furnace,’ on His Hollywood Struggles|Marlow Stern|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such proto-tweets allowed some full-time gossips to work as compilers of the “trending” topics of the day.
Social Media is So Old Even the Romans Had It|Nick Romeo|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is "water" in English, "wasser" in German, "vatten" in Swedish, all cognates emanating from "wator" in proto-German.
How Old is the Illiad?|Justin Green|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In the current proto-populist climate, complicated could actually win for a change.
If the Congressional Supercommittee Fails, Who Wins?|Michael Tomasky|November 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The influence of the leisure class is not consistently for or against the rehabilitation of this proto-anthropoid human nature.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen
The oxygen of the atmosphere also unites with certain minerals, such as the proto-salts of iron, and converts them into peroxides.
Geology|James Geikie
As far as he knew, there was no such thing as a proto-man myth in wide currency around the galaxy.
Equation of Doom|Gerald Vance
Remember this, though: I cannot tell you what to expect when you reach the original home of proto-man.
Equation of Doom|Gerald Vance
Or must proto-man, like humans everywhere, fall victim to subjective time if objective time did not matter for him?
Equation of Doom|Gerald Vance

British Dictionary definitions for proto-

proto-

sometimes before a vowel prot-

combining form

indicating the first in time, order, or rankprotomartyr

primitive, ancestral, or originalprototype

indicating the reconstructed earliest stage of a languageProto-Germanic

indicating the first in a series of chemical compoundsprotoxide

indicating the parent of a chemical compound or an elementprotactinium

Word Origin for proto-

from Greek prōtos first, from pro before; see pro- ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for proto-

proto-

pref.

First in time:prototype.

First formed; primitive; original:protoplast.

Having the least amount of a specified element or radical:protoporphyrin.