formed with a comparative force from πρό:
A.adv. of Time, before,
I.of future time, before that time, sooner, with fut. Ind. or Subj. = fut., Hom.: with Opt. and κεν, Od.
II.of past time, aforetime, formerly, once, erst, Hom.; so with the Art., τὸ πρίν γε . . , νῦν δὲ . . ; νῦν δὲ . . τὸ πρίν γε Il.:—with the Art. the Part. ὤν is omitted, τὰ πρὶν πελώρια (sc. ὄντα) the giants of old, Aesch.; ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ Soph.; ἐν τοῖς πρὶν λόγοις Thuc.
B.πρὶν ἤ, as Conjunction, before that, before, ere, priusquam, Hom.; but ἤ is often omitted, so that πρίν becomes a Conjunction: the antecedent clause also has πρίν (or πρότερον, πρόσθεν, πάρος), so that πρίν the Conjunction is relat. to πρίν the adv., especially after a negat.:—it is constructed with Inf., ναῖε δὲ Πήδαιον, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν υἷας Ἀχαιῶν Il.; οὐδὲ παύσεται χόλου, πρὶν κατασκῆψαί τινα Eur.
II.with a finite Verb:
1.with Ind., in which case Hom. uses πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε, πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δή, until, μάχη τέτατο, πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δὴ Ζεὺς κῦδος Ἕκτορι δῶκε Il.; so, οὐκ ἦν ἀλέξημ᾽ οὐδέν, πρίν γ᾽ ἐγὼ σφίσιν ἔδειξα Aesch.
2.with Subj. only after negatives or equiv. of neg., οὐ καταδυσόμεθ᾽, πρὶν μόρσιμον ἦμαρ ἐπέλθῃ we will not go down, till the day of death come on, Od.;—in attic πρὶν ἄν is regular, οὐδέν ἐστι τέρμα μοι μόχθων, πρὶν ἂν Ζεὺς ἐκπέσῃ τυραννίδος Aesch.; but ἄν is sometimes omitted, μὴ στέναζε, πρὶν μάθῃς Soph.; as always with πρὶν ἤ, πρὶν ἢ ἀνορθώσωσι Hdt.
