πρόξενος

See also: Πρόξενος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

πρό (pró, “before”) +‎ ξένος (xénos, “strange, foreigner”)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /prók.se.nos/ → /ˈprok.se.nos/ → /ˈprok.se.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /prók.se.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈprok.se.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈprok.se.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈprok.se.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈprok.se.nos/

Noun

πρόξενος • (próxenos) m or f (genitive προξένου); second declension

1. a public foreigner, public guest or friend, made so by an act of the state

   πρόξεινος τε ειη και ευεργέτης ― próxeinos te eiē kai euergétēs ― benefactor and proxenos

   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.136
   • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 8.143
   1. in ancient inscriptions the πρόξενος (próxenos) seems to be a public officer who had to do with registration of wills
2. a patron, protector
   • 470 BCE, Aeschylus, The Suppliants 419, 492, 919, 920
   1. (as adjective) assisting, relieving
      • Palatine Anthology 1.28,4

Usage notes

The word expressed the same relation between a State and an individual of another State, that ξένος (xénos) expressed between individuals of different States;, (but the relation between two States was also expressed by ξενία (xenía) (Hdt. 6.21). In time this relation assumed a formal, diplomatic character, and the πρόξενος (próxenos) enjoyed his privileges under the condition of entertaining and assisting the ambassadors and citizens of the State which he represented, so that the πρόξενοι (próxenoi) answered pretty nearly to our Consuls, Agents, Residents, though the πρόξενος (próxenos) was always a member of the foreign State. The office was at first probably self-chosen (compare ἐθελοπρόξενος (ethelopróxenos) Thuc. 3. 70), but soon became matter of appointment : the πρόξενος (próxenos) was bound so to identify himself with the people he represented, that their country became to him a second country. Plat. Legg. 642 B. At Athens and in other Greek States, every State chose its own πρόξενος (próxenos); at Sparta the πρόξενοι (próxenoi) were appointed by the Kings (Hdt. 6. 57) or by the People (C. I. 1335, Diog. L. 2. 51). As examples of Athenian πρόξενοι (próxenoi) in foreign states, we find Pindar at Thebes, Thucydides at Pharsalus, Doxander at Mytilene, Isocr. Antid. § 179 = 166, Thuc. 8. 92, Arist. Pol. 5. 4, 6 ; compare Thuc. 2. 29., 3. 2, Aeschin. 90. 23, etc.; as Spartan πρόξενοι (próxenoi) at Athens, Cimon, Alcibiades and Callias, Andoc. 23. 43, Thuc. 5. 43., 6. 89, Xen. Hell. 5. 4, 22 ; so, at Athens, Nicias was πρόξενος (próxenos) of Syracuse, Diod. 13. 27; Demosthenes and Thraso of Thebes, Aeschin. 46. 42 sq., 73. 20 ; at Sparta, Lichas was πρόξενος (próxenos) of Argos, Thuc. 5. 76; Pharax of Boeotia, Xen. Hell. 4. 5, 6 ; Clearchus of Byzantium, lb. i. 1, 35 ; Polydamas of Thessaly, lb. 6. 1, 4. Tyrants also and barbarian States had their πρόξενοι (próxenoi), compare Id. An. 5. 4, 2., 5. 6, 11. At Delphi there seems to have been a set of official πρόξενοι (próxenoi), not attached to any special states, Eur. Ion 551, 1039, Andr. 1103; compare the Δελφοὶ ξεναγέται (Delphoì xenagétai) of Pind. N. 7. 63. The προξενία (proxenía) sometimes was exercised by whole families and became an hereditary office, Thuc. 3. 2 and 85., 5. 43, Xen. Symp. 8, 39. The Athenian πρόξενοι (próxenoi) had (as we know) special privileges when they visited Athens, such as ἰσοτέλεια (isotéleia), προεδρία (proedría), etc., Dem. 475. 10, Dinarch. 95. fin.—On their duties, v. Dem. 1237. 17, compare Herm. Pol. Ant. § n6. 4, Ulrich de Proxenia (Berl. 1832), Meier de Pr. (Hal. 1843).

Declension

Second declension of ὁ, ἡ πρόξενος; τοῦ, τῆς προξένου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ, ἡ πρόξενος ho, hē próxenos	τὼ προξένω tṑ proxénō	οἱ, αἱ πρόξενοι hoi, hai próxenoi
Genitive	τοῦ, τῆς προξένου toû, tês proxénou	τοῖν προξένοιν toîn proxénoin	τῶν προξένων tôn proxénōn
Dative	τῷ, τῇ προξένῳ tôi, têi proxénōi	τοῖν προξένοιν toîn proxénoin	τοῖς, ταῖς προξένοις toîs, taîs proxénois
Accusative	τὸν, τὴν πρόξενον tòn, tḕn próxenon	τὼ προξένω tṑ proxénō	τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς προξένους toùs, tā̀s proxénous
Vocative	πρόξενε próxene	προξένω proxénō	πρόξενοι próxenoi
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

References

• “πρόξενος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “πρόξενος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• πρόξενος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• “πρόξενος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • agent idem, page 18.
  • consul idem, page 165.
  • minister idem, page 531.
  • patron idem, page 599.
  • patroness idem, page 599.
  • protector idem, page 653.
  • protectress idem, page 653.
  • proxenus idem, page 655.
  • representative idem, page 698.

Greek

Etymology 1

προ- (pro-, “for”) +‎ ξένος (xénos, “stranger”)

Noun

πρόξενος • (próxenos) m or f (plural πρόξενοι)

1. (diplomacy) consul

Declension

declension of πρόξενος

case     \     number	singular	plural
nominative	πρόξενος •	πρόξενοι •
genitive	προξένου •	προξένων •
accusative	πρόξενο •	προξένους •
vocative	πρόξενε •	πρόξενοι •

Related terms

• see: προξενείο n (proxeneío, “consulate”)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek προξενῶ (proxenô).

Noun

πρόξενος • (próxenos) m or f (plural πρόξενοι)

1. cause

Declension

declension of πρόξενος

case     \     number	singular	plural
nominative	πρόξενος •	πρόξενοι •
genitive	προξένου •	προξένων •
accusative	πρόξενο •	προξένους •
vocative	πρόξενε •	πρόξενοι •

Further reading

• πρόξενος on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el