NODE / 0492attestedAncient Greek

πρό-

TRANSLITERATION pro-

before or in front as a prefix

DATE: Ancient Greek
SENSE: before prefix
FAMILY: Indo-European / Hellenic
CANONICAL KEY: node:10:pro:attested:sense:before-prefix

The first component of prologos.

ANCESTRAL EDGES

ROOT OF THIS ROOT

THE TRAIL ENDS HERE.

No reviewed parent edge extends beyond this canonical node.

DIRECT DESCENDANT EDGES

THE NEXT HISTORICAL STEP

DESCENDANTcompound componentestablished

Ancient Greek · Ancient Greek · speech before

πρόλογος

speech before; portion of a play before the chorus

SOUND: The bound pro- component remains visible inside prologos; no independent sound change is asserted.
MEANING: Before positions the speech or discourse ahead of the main performance.
SCHOLAR: Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors
CONFIDENCE: established — This edge completes the two-component model with logos.

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known UsesupportsEtymology: pro- “before”

Directly identifies the first compound component.

ORIGINAL ↗

Prologue — Origin and historysupportsHeadword etymology: pro “before”

Independently identifies the first component.

ORIGINAL ↗

OPEN CANONICAL EDGE 459 ↗

TRANSITIVE DESCENDANT CLOSURE

EVERY REVIEWED BRANCH FROM HERE

This is the complete downstream closure currently supported by the canonical graph. Every displayed step is a real reviewed edge with its own sound claim, meaning claim, scholar, confidence, and citations.

UNIQUE DESCENDANT NODES: 5
REVIEWED EDGES: 5
DEEPEST PATH: 5
MODERN DOSSIERS REACHED: 1

prologue5 connected nodes

HISTORICAL STEP 011 EDGE

STEP 01compound componentestablished

Ancient Greekπρό-→Ancient Greek · Ancient Greekπρόλογοςspeech before; portion of a play before the chorus

SOUND: The bound pro- component remains visible inside prologos; no independent sound change is asserted.
MEANING: Before positions the speech or discourse ahead of the main performance.

Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors2 CITATIONSEDGE 459 ↗

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Etymology: pro- “before” ↗Prologue — Origin and history · Headword etymology: pro “before” ↗

HISTORICAL STEP 021 EDGE

STEP 02borrowingestablished

Ancient Greekπρόλογος→Latin · Latin antiquity and Late Latinprologuspreface to a play or introductory discourse

SOUND: Latin prologus borrows and adapts Greek prologos.
MEANING: The Greek before-speech becomes a Latin theatrical and literary preface.

Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors2 CITATIONSEDGE 443 ↗

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Etymology: Latin prologus from Greek prologos ↗Prologue — Origin and history · Headword etymology: Latin from Greek prologos ↗

HISTORICAL STEP 031 EDGE

STEP 03borrowingestablished

Latinprologus→Anglo-French · Anglo-French periodprologuea prologue or prefatory discourse

SOUND: Anglo-French prologue continues Latin prologus through Romance transmission.
MEANING: The introductory speech or preface remains central.

Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors2 CITATIONSEDGE 442 ↗

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Etymology: Anglo-French from Latin prologus ↗Prologue — Origin and history · Headword etymology: Old French and Latin ↗

HISTORICAL STEP 041 EDGE

STEP 04borrowingestablished

Anglo-Frenchprologue→Middle English · Middle English, 14th centuryprologan introduction or prefatory speech

SOUND: Middle English prolog adopts Anglo-French prologue with English spelling adaptation.
MEANING: The prefatory discourse meaning remains stable.

Merriam-Webster editors1 CITATIONEDGE 441 ↗

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Etymology: Middle English from Anglo-French ↗

HISTORICAL STEP 051 EDGE

STEP 05historical continuationestablished

Middle Englishprolog→Present-Day English · 14th century–todayprologuean introductory speech, section, or preceding event

SOUND: Middle English prolog develops the modern -ue spelling while retaining the initial pro- and final log sequence.
MEANING: The prefatory speech becomes any introductory section and later any preceding event.

Merriam-Webster · Etymonline editors2 CITATIONSEDGE 440 ↗

Prologue — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Word History and First Known Use ↗Prologue — Origin and history · Headword chronology and semantic development ↗

“Every” means every descendant in the reviewed SET-U graph. It does not convert missing scholarship or missing ingestion into a claim of historical completeness. The coverage ledger remains the honest denominator.

RECORDED EVIDENCE

ATTESTATIONS / FIRST KNOWN USE

NO RECORDED WITNESS ATTACHED.

The reviewed graph does not yet attach a source-reported or directly inspected witness to this canonical form.

EDITORIAL REUSE