proxenos

English

Alternative forms

• proxenus (Latinate spelling)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πρόξενος (próxenos, “public guest”), from πρό (pró, “before (in preference)”) (whence English pro-) + ξένος (xénos, “recipient of hospitality”, “guest”, “stranger”) (whence English xen-, -xeny); compare proxenus; unrelated to either Latin proximus, English proxy, or their derivations.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: prŏkʹsĭnŏs, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑksɪnɒs/
• (General American) enPR: prŏkʹsənôs', prŏkʹsənŏs', IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑksɪˌnɔs/, /ˈpɹɑksɪˌnɑs/
• Hyphenation: prox‧e‧nos

Noun

proxenos (plural proxenoi)

1. (Ancient Greece, historical) A citizen of a state appointed by another state to host its ambassadors and to represent and protect its interests there.

Synonyms

• hospes (Roman equivalent); consul, minister-resident (modern equivalents)

Related terms

• proxenete (chiefly historical)
• proxeny (in Ancient Greek history)

References

• “proxenos, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (draft revision, March 2008)
• proxenos on Wikipedia.Wikipedia