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proto |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Proto- \Pro"to-\ [Gr. prw^tos first a superl. fr pro` before See {Pro-}.] 1. A combining form prefix signifying first primary, primordial; as protomartyr, the first martyr; protomorphic, primitive in form protoplast, a primordial organism; prototype, protozoan. 2. (Chem.) a Denoting the first or lowest of a series, or the one having the smallest amount of the element to the name of which it is prefixed; as protoxide, protochloride etc b Sometimes used as equivalent to mono-, as indicating that the compound has but one atom of the element to the name of which it is prefixed. Also used adjectively. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: proto adj : (combining form) indicating the first or earliest or original; "`proto' is a combining form in a word like `protolanguage' that refers to the hypothetical ancestor of another language or group of languages" [syn: {proto(a)}]
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