First Known Use: circa 1568
Dictionary
protasis
noun prot·a·sis \ˈprä-tə-səs\
plural prot·a·ses\-ˌsēz\
Definition of PROTASIS
1
: the introductory part of a play or narrative poem
2
: the subordinate clause of a conditional sentence — compare apodosis
— pro·tat·ic \prä-ˈta-tik, prō-\ adjective
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Origin of PROTASIS
Late Latin, from Greek, premise of a syllogism, conditional clause, from proteinein to stretch out before, put forward, from pro- + teinein to stretch — more at thin
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