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pro-2

Before in time, place, order, etc.

Greek pro, before.

Examples from Greek include problem (originally a riddle or question put forward for academic discussion; Greek proballein, put forth, from ballein, to throw), proboscis (Greek proboskis, means of obtaining food, from boskein, (cause to) feed), and prophet (Greek prophētēs spokesman, from phētēs, speaker).

Examples formed in English include proactive, causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened; prokaryote (Greek karuon, nut, kernel), a microscopic single-celled organism which does not have a distinct nucleus; prophylaxis (Greek phulaxis, act of guarding), action taken to prevent disease, especially by specified means or against a specified disease, later extended in sense in prophylactic to refer euphemistically to a condom; prosimian, a primitive primate of a group that includes the lemurs; prophase, the first stage of cell division.

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