πρεῖγυς

πρεῖγ-υς, ὁ, Cret.,

A = πρέσβυς, old man, ib.4992a iii 2; also in [comp] Comp., acc. sg.

πρείγονα

older,

Leg.Gort. 12.34

, cf. Supp.Epigr.1.414.9 (Crete, v/iv B. C., dub. sens.), and [comp] Sup.

πρείγιστος

oldest,

Leg.Gort.7.23

, al.—Cogn. forms are [full] πρεγγευτάς, [full] πρεσγευτάς, [full] πρεισγευτάς, = πρεσβευτής, Supp.Epigr.4.599.13, 17 (Teos, ii B. C.), GDI 5148.12, 5167.11; [full] πρήγιστος, = πρέσβιστος, president, ib.5034.5; βουλῆς ib.2562.23 ([place name] Hierapytna); also [full] πρίγιστος, Sammelb. 1042 (vi B. C.); [full] πρεσγέα, ἁ, Argive for πρεσβεία, SIG 56.38 (Argos, v B. C.). (For the etym. v. πρέσβυς fin.)

πρέσβῠς, Pi.P.4.282, A.Ag. 530, εως or εος (v. infr. 11), ὁ, voc.

A

πρέσβῠ E.Or. 476

, Ar.Th. 146:— old man (poet. for prose πρεσβύτης), in this sense only used in nom., acc., and voc.,

ὁ π. Πόλυβος S.OT 941

;

Φοῖνιξ ὁ π. Id.Ph. 562

;

δριμὺς π. Ar.Av. 255

(lyr.);

πατέρά πρές βυν S.Ph. 665

;

πρέσβυ Id.OT 1013

, 1121;

ὦ πρέσβυ E.

l. c., Ar. l. c.;

ὁ π.

the elder,

A. Ag. 184

(lyr.), 205 (lyr.), 530; cf. πρέσβα, πρέσβειρα, πρεσβηΐς, πρέσβις: pl. πρέσβεις, elders, three times in Trag., always voc. (v. infr. 111), A. Pers. 840, S.OT 1111, E.HF 247; for πρεσβῆ, πρεσβῆες, πρισγεῖες, v. πρεσβεύς: [comp] Comp. and [comp] Sup. are the only forms found in Hom., [comp] Comp. πρεσβύτερος, α, ον (late

πρεσβυτερωτέρα PLond.2.177.15

(i A. D.)), elder, Il.11.787, 15.204, Hdt.2.2, etc.; πλεῖν ἢ 'νιαυτῷ by more than a year, Ar.Ra.18; πρεσβυτέρα ἀριθμοῦ older than the fit number, Pi. Fr. 127; βουλαὶ πρεσβύτεραι thy counsels wise beyond thy years, Id.P.2.65;

γνώμη π. τῆς ἡλικίας D.H.5.30

;

οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ π. Arist.EE 1215a23

; of animals, Id.HA 546a7;

ἵππος π. ἤδη ὤν

rather old,

PCair.Zen. 225.8

(iii B. C.); also

δένδρα π. Thphr.CP1.13.8

; ἐπὶ τὸ π. ἰέναι become older, Pl.Lg. 631e;

ἵνα μὴ π. ὢν ῥέμβωμαι

in my old age, PCair. Zen.

447.9

(iii B. C.): [comp] Sup. πρεσβύτατος, η, ον, eldest, Il.4.59, 11.740, Hes.Th. 234, etc.;

π. γενεῇ Il.6.24

; as a term of respect,

ἐγὼ παλαιότατός εἰμι σὺ δὲ π. Plu.Nic.15

; of animals, Arist.HA 546a4, al.: for the poet. forms πρέσβιστος, πρεσβίστατος, v. πρέσβιστος, and cf. πρεῖγυς.

2 [comp] Comp. and [comp] Sup., of things, more or most important, taking precedence, esp. πρεσβύτερόν τι (or οὐδὲν) ἔχειν deem higher, more important,

τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρεσβύτερα ἐποιεῦντο ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν Hdt. 5.63

;

οὐδὲν πρεσβύτερον νομίζω τᾶς σωφροσύνας E.Fr. 959

(lyr.);

ἐμοὶ οὐδέν ἐστι πρεσβύτερον τοῦ.. Pl.Smp. 218d

;

πρεσβύτατον κρἰναί τι Th. 4.61

; merely of magnitude, πρεσβύτερον κακοῦ κακόν one evil greater thananother, S.OT 1365 (lyr.);

χρεῶν πάντων πρεσβύτατα Pl.Lg. 717b

. Adv.,

- τέρωσγυμναστικὴν μουσικῆς τετιμηκέναι Id.R. 548c

, cf. Jul. Or.4.132c.

II = πρεσβευτής, ambassador, in nom. sg. only cj. in A. Supp. 727 (v. πρέσβη) and in Prov. ap. Sch.Il.4.394 (v. πρέσβις (A)); gen.

πρέσβεως Ar.Ach.93

(at end of line);

πρέσβεος Choerob. in Theod. 1.233

: dual πρέσβει (written πρεσβε) IG12(1).977.45,57 (Carpathos, iv B. C.): pl. πρέσβεις, [dialect] Dor. un[var] contr. πρέσβεες ib.14.952.11 (Acragas, iii B. C.) (at first more freq. than πρεσβευταί (q. v.)), Ar.Ach.61, IG12.52.1, 22.1.20, al., D.19.183; acc.

πρέσβεις IG12.46.24

, Foed. ap. Th.4.118, X.HG4.8.13; gen. πρέσβεων, dat. πρέσβεσι, Ar.Ach.76,62, IG22.1.7.

III at Sparta a political title, president, τῶν ἐφόρων ib.5(1).51.6, 552.11; νομοφυλάκων ib.555b19; βιδέων ib.556.6; συναρχίας ib.504.16; τῆς φυλῆς ib.564.3; [ σφαιρέων] ib.675.5; gen. sg. πρέσβεως ib. 504.16, al.

2 [comp] Comp. πρεσβύτερος, elder, alderman,

τῆς κώμης BGU 195.30

(ii A. D., pl.), cf. POxy.2121.4 (iii A. D.), etc.;

ἐκρίθημεν ἐπί τε Νουμηνίου καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν π. PCair.Zen.520.4

(iii B. C.), cf. UPZ124.22, 36 (ii B. C.); τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ ( both)

τοῖς π. καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσι OGI194.3

(Egypt, i B. C.); οἱ π. τῶν ὀλυροκόπων ib.729 (Alexandria, iii B. C.);

π. τῶν γεωργῶν PTeb.13.5

(ii B. C.);

π. γέρδιοι IGRom.1.1122

(Theadelphia, ii A. D.); τέκτονες π. ib.1155 (Ptolemaïs Hermiu, i A. D.): elder of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Ev.Matt.16.21, etc.; later, elder of the Christian Church, presbyter, Act.Ap.11.30, 20.17, 1 Ep.Ti.5.19, POxy.1162.1 (iv A. D.), etc.; of the Apostles, 2 Ep.Jo.1.1, 3 Ep.Jo.1.1.

IV wren, Arist.HA 609a17, 615a19, Hsch.; cf. σπέργυς. (-βυ-, Cret. - γυ- (in πρεῖγυς), cogn. with Skt. -gu in vanar-gú- 'one who lives or moves in the forest', Lith. žmogùs 'man' (lit. 'one who moves on the ground'); πρες- cogn. with Lat.prae, pris-tinus; the oldest sense of π. is 'going in front, taking precedence'.)

πρεσγέα,

A v. πρεῖγυς.

πρήγιστος (v. πρεῖγυς,), GDI3742.4 ([place name] Cos).

πρίγιστος,

A v. πρεῖγυς.

Grammatical information: m.

Meaning: `the old, aged one' (poet. Pi., trag.), `president' (Sparta); pl. πρέσβεις most `ambassador, messenger' (Att., Dor. inscr.); besides πρεσβ-ῆες (Hes. Sc. 245), - εῦσιν (Lyc.), du. -ῆ (Att.); cf. below on πρεσβεύω.

Other forms: Gen. (rare) - εως, - εος, acc. - υν, voc. -υ.

Compounds: As 1. member a.o. in πρεσβυ-γενής `first-born' (A 249 a.o.).

Derivatives: 1. Comp. forms: πρεσβύ-τερος (with - τέριον `council of elders' [N.T.]), - τατος `old, venerable, the eldest, most venerable' (Il.); also πρέσβιστος `most venerable' (h. Hom., A., S. a.o.) after κράτιστος, κύδιστος, with the cross πρεσβίστ-ατος (Nic.). 2. Feminins: πρέσβα ( θεά) `the venerable', of Hera a.o. (ep. Il.), after πότνα ( θεά)?; πρέσβεα ( μήτηρ; poet. inscr. from Caria II-I^a), metr. cond.; πρέσβειρα ( θεῶν a.o.; h. Ven. etc.), after πίειρα, - άνειρα a.o.; πρεσβηΐς ( τιμή h. Hom.), after βασιληΐς a.o., cf. πρεσβῆες above. 3. πρεσβ-ήϊον n. `gift of honour' (Θ 289), - εῖον `privilege (of age)' (Att., hell.). 4. - εία f. `right, privilege (of age)' (A., Pl.), usu. `embassy' (Att.; to πρεσβεύω). 5. πρεσβύ̄της m. `the old, aged one', enlargement of πρέσβυς after πολίτης a.o. (not with Fraenkel Glotta 34, 301 ff. innovation to πρεσβῦτις; IA.) with f. - ῦτις, adj. - υτικός `senile' (Att. etc.). 6. πρεσβῠ́της, - ητος f., Dor. - τας. - τατος `(higher) age' (inscr. Messene I<sup>a</sup> [completed] a.o.; after νεότης). 7. πρέσβις f. `age, rank', only in κατὰ πρέσβιν (h. Merc., Pl. a.o.); after κατὰ τάξιν a.o. 8. πρέσβος n. `(object of) veneration', after κῦδος, κράτος a.o. 9. πρεσβ-εύω `to be the eldest, to have precedence, to be ambassador', trans. `to attend, venerate like a πρέσβυς', midd. `to send ambassadors', also w. παρα-, συν-, ἀπο- a.o., with - ευτής m. `ambassador, messenger' (Att.; as singulative to πρέσβεις). - ευτικός, - εύτειρα, - ευτεύω, - ευμα, - ευσις; partly also πρεσβεία (s. ab. 4) and, as backformation, πρεσβεῦσιν dat. pl. (Lyc.; s. ab.; cf. Bosshardt 63). -- 10. Shortnames like Πρέσβων (to πρέσβειρα after πέπειρα: πέπων? Fraenkel KZ 43, 216 n.2). Πρέσβος a.o., s. Bechtel Hist. Personennamen 385. -- On the diff. writings and formations s. Lejeune Mém. de phil. myc. 239ff.

Origin: IE [Indo-European] [812] * pres-gʷeu- `who goes in front'

Etymology: Beside the above forms stand in Doric, esp. in Crete, and in Northwestgr. several byforms with γ for β and changing initial syllable: πρεῖγυς, πρείγιστος with comp. πρείγων, πρειγ-εύω with - ευτάς, -ήϊα, - εία; also πρείγα f. `council of elders' (Locris); πρεσγευτάς, πρεγγ-; later πρήγιστος with (Cos) - ιστεύω; πρεσγέα = πρεσβεία (Argos), πρισγε(ι)ες (Boeot.); also σπέργυς πρέσβυς and πέργουν πρέσβεις H. Common basis prob. πρεσγ- (with voiced σ; cf. πρεζβευτάς Delphi); from there through phonetical, in detail uncertain developments the other forms, s. Schwyzer 276, Seiler Steigerungsformen 59, Thumb-Kieckers 158, Kapsomenos Glotta 40, 46ff., Masson Glotta 41, 65ff., Lejeune l.c. (with rejection of Mycenaean interpretations). -- From the interchange β: γ follows an orig. IE labiovelar gʷ; the preceding syllable, prob. to be taken as the 1. member of a compound, contains as is generally assumed a frozen adverb πρές `in front' (s. πρός). The final syllable resp. the final member is debated. By Bezzenberger BB 4, 345, Bloomfield AmJPh 29, 79 ff. compared with Skt. puro-gavá- `leader', of which the 2. member is derived both from gaúḥ = βοῦς (so prop. *"leading bull"), as, and on better grounds, from a word for `go' (in βαίνω, βῆναι resp. Skt. jávate `run') (so prop. *"who goes in fromt"). Thus a.o. Fraenkel Glotta 32, 17 u. 34, 301 ff., who wants to explain also Lith. žmogùs `man' in this way (prop. "going on earth"; s. also Wb. s.v. w. lit.); on the Skt. word esp Mayrhofer s. puráḥ. -- Very temptong is the connection with Arm. erēc̣, gen. eric̣u `elder, priest' (Meillet in Lejeune op. cit. 240 n. 9), of which the ē prob. continues a diphthong ei or oi (IE * preisgʷu-?) and usu. connected with Lat. prīscus. Cf. on μεσσηγύς: the second member continues a root * gʷeu-, a variant of * gʷem-.

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