Meaning

An early, primitive stage of development..

Definitions by Sense

1. An early, primitive stage of development.
2. Original, older.
3. (ordinal number) First in order; which stage is first.
4. Primary.
5. (linguistics, genetics) Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of.
6. (inorganic chemistry) A minimal proportion of a particular substance when in a combination. See protosalt.
7. (chemistry) Relating to protons and/or positive charge.
8. (chemistry, obsolete) A proto-metal.

Example Sentences

protophysics, protometal, protoword

I had heard of Caturday when I wrote the piece, but I’d understood that it was a proto-lolcats practice that was different from the actual lolcats meme.

In many ways, both good and bad, he was a proto-Justin Bieber—a teenage dream to be bought and sold, with what would turn out to be very little regard for his own humanity.

protograph, protolacteal, prototype, protoplasm

protogynous, protandrous

protoderm, protocneme

All Indo-European languages from Albanian to Zazaki are descended from Proto-Indo-European.

protoxide, protosulfide, protiodide

Word Forms

• prot-
• Proto-

Synonyms for proto-

When Should You Use Proto-?

Use proto- when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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Frequently Asked Questions