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πρίν , Adv. and Conj.,
A.before, until.[πρι^ν19 times in Hom., Il.2.344, al.; πρι_ν in Il.6.81, 13.172, al.; once written πρείν , Leg.Gort.7.40, but πρίν IG12.60.11, 94.9, 114.46, etc.; Trag. and Com. always πρι^ν πρίν γ᾽ must be read in Ar.Ach.176).]
A. Adv. of Time, before, either in the sense of sooner or in that of formerly, erst (implying duration up to a certain time):
I. of future time, with fut. Indic., “πρίν μιν καὶ γῆρας ἔπεισινIl.1.29, cf. 18.283, Od.2.198, etc.: with Subj. = fut., “πρὶν καὶ κακὸν ἄλλο πάθῃσθαIl.24.551: with Opt. and κεν, πρίν κεν ἀνιηθεὶς σὴν πατρίδα γαῖαν ἵκοιοOd.3.117, cf. 11.330, 14.155, Ar.Pax1076, 1112: with Opt., Il. 24.800: with Imper., 9.250: with Inf. (expressing a wish), 2.413, (expressing an oath) Od.4.254.
II. of past time,
2. formerly (up to a certain point), before, in this sense freq. with Art., “τὸ πρίν γ᾽ ἐκέκαστοIl.5.54; “τὸ πρίν γε . . , νῦν δὲ . .13.105; “νῦν δὲ . . τὸ πρίν γε16.208, cf. A.Pr.443, Hdt.1.129: without Art., “τὰς ἐπιστήμας ἅς ποτε καὶ π. εἴχομενPl.Phd.75e: with ellipsis of part. γενόμενος, τὰ π. πελώρια (sc. γενόμενα) the giants of old, A.Pr.151 (lyr.); τοῦ π. Αἰγέως Aegeus gone before, S.OC69; “ἐν τῷ π. χρόνῳId.Ph.1224; “ἐν τοῖς π. λόγοιςTh.2.62: with part. expressed, “τὸ π. γενόμενον τέραςHdt.8.37; “τοὺς πρὶν φυλαττομένουςPl.R.547c, etc.
3. hitherto,π. μέν . . B.12.114; until that time, and so meanwhile, Id.15.13.
4. sts. folld. by gen., “π. ὥραςPi.P.4.43; “π. ἀνηκέστου πάθουςJ.BJ1.6.1; “π. γενέσεωςThd.Su.42; “π. τῆς συνόδουS.E.M.9.371; “π. φάουςArr.An. 3.18.6; π. τοῦ βλέψαι, π. τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, S.E.P.7.162, v.l. in LXX To. 14.15; also πρὶν οὗ c. inf., SIG953.16 (Calymna, ii B.C.); c. indic., Test. ap. D.46.21.
B. Conj. before, ere: freq. following an antecedent clause with adverbial π. (chiefly in Ep.), or its equivalents πρότερον, πρόσθεν, πάρος (poet.), esp. with negat., “οὐδὲ π. . . , π. . .Il.1.98,7.481, Od.19.475; “μὴ π. . . , π. . .Il.2.355, E.HF605; “π. . . , π. . .Il.2.348, 8.453, Od.19.586; “οὐ πρότερον . ., π . . .Ar.Ec.620, And.4.17, D.9.61; “μὴ πρότερον . . π . . .S.Ph.199 (anap.), Pl.Phd.62c, Aeschin.1.10; “πρότερον . . , π. . .And.4.1, X.Cyr.5.2.9; “οὐ πρόσθεν. . , π. . .Od. 17.9, X.Cyr.1.4.23; “μὴ πρόσθεν . . , π. . .Id.An.1.1.10; “πρόσθε . , π. τυχεῖνPi.P.2.92; “οὐ πάρος. . , π. . .Od.2.128, Il.5.219; preceded by φθάνω, 16.322, Antipho 1.29, Th.4.79, 104, 6.97, 8.12, X.An.4.1.21, Cyr.2.4.25; sts. folld. by “, οὐ . . πρίν γ᾽ ἀποπαύσεσθαι πρίν γ᾽ ἕτερόν γε πεσόντα αἵματος ἆσαι ἌρηαIl.5.288, cf. 22.266, Hdt.1.136, 165, al.; dub. and perh. always corrupt in Att. and X., Th.5.61, Lys.6.11, Isoc.4.19 (v.l.), Lycurg.128, Aeschin.2.132 (v.l.), X.Cyr.1.4.23, An. 4.5.1, but freq. in later Greek, LXX Ge.29.26, etc.
I. c. inf., the prevailing constr. in Hom., after positive and negative clauses alike: in Att. mostly after positive clauses, and always used with them when the action does not or is not to take place: the tense is,
I. regularly aor.,
b. after a negat. clause, “οὐδ᾽ γε πρὶν Δαναοῖσιν ἀεικέα λοιγὸν ἀπώσει, πρίν γ᾽ ἀπὸ πατρὶ φίλῳ δόμεναι ἑλικώπιδα κούρηνIl.1.98, cf. 19.423, Od.2.128, 4.747 : after Hom. a negat. antecedent is commonly folld. by πρίν with finite Verb (v. infr. 11); but Inf. is found where π. precedes, “π. ἰδεῖν δ᾽, οὐδεὶς μάντιςS.Aj.1419 (anap.); “π. μὲν γὰρ κριθῆναι, οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἦν εἰδέναι τὰς αἰτίαςAnd.4.8; “π. νικῆσαι . . , οὐκ ἦν . .Lys.19.28; “π. δὲ ταῦτα πρᾶξαι, μὴ σκοπεῖτεD.3.12, cf. Lycurg. 135; also, “οὔτε . . π. ἱδρῶσαι δεῖπνον ᾑρεῖτοX.Cyr.8.1.38; also after Verbs of fearing (the positive being the thing dreaded), “ὅταν . . δεδίωσι μὴ πρότερόν τι μάθῃς, π. τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς πραττομένοιςIsoc.5.70, cf. E.Fr.453.6, S.Tr. 632; in unfulfilled conditions and wishes, “οὔθ᾽ Πλούτωνος κύων οὔθ᾽ οὑπὶ κώπῃ ψυχοπομπὸς ἂν Χάρων ἔσχον π. εἰς φῶς σὸν καταστῆσαι βίονE.Alc.362, cf. Rh.61; otherwise not common, “ὤφθην οὐδεπώποτε π. ταύτην τὴν συμφορὰν γενέσθαιLys.19.55; “οὐδὲ παύσεται χόλου . . , π. κατασκῆψαί τιναE.Med.94, cf. HF605; “καί μοι μὴ θορυβήσῃ μηδεὶς π. ἀκοῦσαιD.5.15, cf. X.Oec.4.24: after neg. opt. with ἄν, οὕτω γένοιτ᾽ ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἔκβασις στρατοῦ καλή, π. ὅρμῳ ναῦν θρασυνθῆναι a.Supp.772, cf. Pl.Lg.769e: after a past tense (in orat. obliq.), “ὤμοσαν μὴ π. ἐς Φώκαιαν ἥξειν, π. τὸν μύδρον τοῦτον ἀναφανῆναιHdt.1.165, cf. 4.9, Th. 7.50, X.HG6.5.23, Pl.Phd.61a.
2. also pres., to convey a special sense of continuance, effort, or the like , 'before undertaking to', 'before proceeding to', “π. ἐξοπλίζειν ἌρηA.Supp.702 (lyr.), cf. Ag. 1067; “π. νυν τὰ πλείον᾽ ἱστορεῖν . . , ἔξελθεS.OC36, cf. El.20; “π. κλαίειν τινάE.Andr.577, cf. Or.1095; “π. λέγεινAr.Th.380, cf. Ach.383, Hdt. 8.3, And.4.1, Th.3.24, Pl.Lg.666a, X.Cyr.2.4.25, Mem.1.2.40, etc.
II. with a finite Verb:
1. with Ind., chiefly aor.: not in Hom. (first in h.Ap.357), who uses Ind. only with πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε, πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δή, after both posit. and neg. clauses, “ἠλώμην . . , πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε . . ἤγαγεςOd.13.322; “πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δή με . . κάλεσσεν23.43, cf. Il.12.437; “οὐδέ κεν ἡμέας ἄλλο διέκρινεν . . , πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δὴ θανάτοιο . . νέφος ἀμφεκάλυψενOd.4.180: rarely with impf., οὐδ᾽ ὧς τοῦ θυμὸν . . ἔπειθον, πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δὴ θάλαμος πύκ᾽ ἐβάλλετο (began to be hit) Il.9.588: freq. after Hom., with aor.,
a. generally with aor., to express an action preceding the action of the anteced. clause, the Verb in which is fut. (or some equiv. of the fut.) or imper., “οὐ γαμέεται παρθένος οὐδεμία, πρὶν ἂν τῶν πολεμίων ἄνδρα ἀποκτείνῃHdt.4.117, cf. 1.82 (v.l.), 3.109 (v.l.); νῦν δ᾽ οὐδέν ἐστι τέρμα μοι προκείμενον μόχθων (the sense here is fut.), “πρὶν ἂν Ζεὺς ἐκπέσῃ τυραννίδοςA.Pr.756, cf. 166 (lyr.), 177 (anap.); “οὐ γάρ ποτ᾽ ἔξει τῆσδε τῆς χώρας, πρὶν ἂν . . στήσῃς ἄγωνS.OC909, cf. 48, 1041, OT1529, etc.; “οὐκ ἂν ἐκμάθοις . . , πρὶν ἂν θάνῃ τιςId.Tr.2; “οὐκ ἄπειμι πρὸς δόμους πάλιν, πρὶν ἄν σε . . ἔξω βάλωE.Med.276, cf. 680, Alc.1145, IA324, IT19,1302; “μὴ προκαταγίγνωσκε . . , π. ἄν γ᾽ ἀκούσῃς ἀμφοτέρωνAr.V.920, cf. Ach.176, 230, X.Hier.6.13, Cyr.1.2.8, An.1. 1.10, 5.7.12, Pl.Phdr.228c, La.187e (ἂν added in later codd.), etc.; “μηδέν᾽ ὀλβίζειν π. ἀ᾽̀ν τέρμα τοῦ βίου περάσῃS.OT1529 (troch.); “οὐχὶ μὴ παύσησθε, π. ἄν . . ὑμᾶς τις ἐκτραχηλίσῃAr.Lys.704: π. without “ἄν, μὴ στέναζε, π. μάθῃςS.Ph.917, cf. Ant.619 (lyr.), Aj.742, 965, Tr.608, 946; “οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις αὐτὸν ἐξαιρήσεται . . , π. γυναῖκ᾽ ἐμοὶ μεθῇE.Alc. 849, cf. Or.1218, 1357 (lyr.); “π. χαρίσωνταιAr.Ec.629 (s.v.l.); “οὐ γὰρ δή σφεας ἀπίει τῆς ἀποικίης, πρὶν δὴ ἀπίκωνταιHdt.4.157; “π. διαγνῶσιTh.6.29; π . . . βεβαιωσώμεθα ib.10 (dub.l.); “πρὶν ἀνάγκην τινὰ θεὸς ἐπιπέμψῃPl.Phd.62c codd.; “π. ἐξετάσωσινHyp.Eux.4: πρὶν (never with ἄν)“, π. ἀνορθώσωσιHdt.1.19, cf. 136, Pl.Ti.57b, etc.: with neg. implied, “ δὲ ἀδικέει ἀναπειθόμενος π. ἀτρεκέως ἐκμάθῃHdt.7.10.“ή; αἰσχρὸν ἡγοῦμαι πρότερον παύσασθαι, π. ἂν . . ψηφίσησθεLys. 22.4; “ὅστις οὖν οἴεται τοὺς ἄλλους πράξειν τι . . , π. ἂν . . διαλλάξῃ, λίαν ἁπλῶς ἔχειIsoc.4.16 (where ὅστις οὖν οἴεται = οὐ δεῖ οὔεσθαι, as is shown by ἀλλὰ δεῖ in the next sentence, cf. D.38.24).
3. πρίν with Opt.:
b. by assimilation, “ὄλοιο μήπω π. μάθοιμιS.Ph. 961, cf. Tr.657 (lyr.); οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰδείης (potential opt.) . . “π. πειρηθείηςThgn.126; after opt. with “ἄν, οὐκ ἂν πρότερον ὁρμήσειε π. βεβαιώσαιτοPl.Lg.799d, cf. S.OT505 (lyr.).
4. π. ἄν c. opt. is doubtful, and (if not corrupt) due to the change required by orat. obl., “ἀπαγορευόντων τῶν φίλων τῶν ἐμῶν μὴ ἀποκτείνειν τὸν ἄνδρα, πρὶν ἄν ἐγὼ ἔλθοιμιAntipho 5.34 (s.v.l.), cf. X.HG2.3.48, 2.4.18.
5. without a Verb, πρὶν ὥρη (sc. γένηται) Od.15.394.
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (246):
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