A. Adv.,
I. of Time, aforetime, formerly, “π. μεμαυῖα” Il.4.73, etc.; “κάρη π. χαρίεν” 22.403 ; “οὐ γὰρ ἐμὴ ἲς ἔσθ᾽ οἵη π. ἔσκεν” 11.669, cf. Od.2.119, etc.; opp. νῦν, 6.325, etc. ; “π. γε” Il.17.270, etc. ; “π. περ” Od.5.82, etc. : with the Art., τὸ π. γε, τὸ π. περ, Il.19.42, 23.480, etc. ; once in Hdt., καὶ π. 9.2 ; never in Att. Prose (rarely later, PPetr.2p.22 (iii B.C.), POxy.1121.36 (iii A. D.) , but freq. in Trag., θεοὶ οἱ π. A.Pr.406 (lyr.); “τά τε π. τά τ᾽ εἰσέπειτα” S.Aj.34 ; “ἐν τῷ π. χρόνῳ” Id.El.1445, etc.
2. with pres., up to now, hitherto, “οἳ τὸ π. περ ζαχρηεῖς τελέθουσι” Il.12.346 ; “οἷος π. εὔχεαι εἶναι” 4.264 ; “π. γε μὲν οὔ τι θαμίζεις” Od.5.88, cf. 4.810, Il.1.553.
3. as Conj. like πρίν, before, c. aor. inf., “πάρος τάδε ἔργα γενέσθαι” 6.348 ; “πάρος ἢν γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι” Od.1.21, cf. 8.376, etc.: rarely with pres., “πάρος δόρποιο μέδεσθαι” Il.18.245.
4. with neg., as antec. to πρίν γε, π. δ᾽ οὐκ ἔσσεται ἄλλως, πρίν γε . . not until, 5.218, cf. Od.2.127.
6. rather, sooner, “π. τοι δαίμονα δώσω” 8.166 ; “π. τινὰ γαῖα καθέξει” 16.629, cf. E. Or.345 (lyr.).
II. rarely of Place, first, σοὶ βαδιστέον π. S.El. 1502.
B. Prep., poet. for πρό,
I. of Place, before, once in Hom., Τυδεΐδαο π. Il.8.254 ; δωμάτων π. S.Aj.73, E.Hec.1049, Ph.1271 ; δόμων π. Id.Or.112, 1217 ; “τῶν σῶν π. πίτνουσα γονάτων” Id.Andr. 572.
2. instead of, “ἀδελφῶν πάρος . . θανεῖν” E.Heracl.536 —When πάρος is a Prep. it usually follows its case, but not always, S.OC418, E.Andr.1112, 1208. (Cf. Skt. purás 'before'.)