protagonist
See also: Protagonist
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, “a chief actor”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”).
Surface analysis prot- (“first”) + agonist (“combatant, participant”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
protagonist (plural protagonists)
- (authorship) The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.
- Antonym: antagonist
- A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
- (proscribed) An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action.
Usage notesEdit
The use of protagonist to mean a proponent or supporter of a cause is a 20th century development that may have been influenced by the misunderstanding that the first syllable of the word is the prefix pro-, meaning favouring.[1] This usage is widely considered to be erroneous.[2][3]
Coordinate termsEdit
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
main character
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leading person in a contest
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advocate
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Further readingEdit
- protagonist in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- protagonist in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “protagonist” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- ^ Pinker, Steven (2014) The Sense of Style, New York, New York: Penguin, →ISBN
- ^ Feloni, Richard (30 November 2015), “The 58 Most Commonly Misused Words and Phrases”, in The Independent, Independent Print Limited
DanishEdit
NounEdit
protagonist c (singular definite protagonisten, plural indefinite protagonister)
- (literature) protagonist
- Synonym: hovedperson
DeclensionEdit
Declension of protagonist
| common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | protagonist | protagonisten | protagonister | protagonisterne |
| genitive | protagonists | protagonistens | protagonisters | protagonisternes |
Further readingEdit
DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
Ultimately from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
protagonist m (plural protagonisten)
- protagonist, main character [from 18th c.]
- 1780, M. C. Curtius, Aristoteles Verhandeling over de dichtkunst, tr. from German, publ. by Arend Fokke Simonsz., page 105.
- Hy voerde nog een perſoon in, en verdeelde het Treurſpel in twee rollen, van welke de eerste Acteur de hoofdrol ſpeelde en daarvan de Protagonist heette;
- (please add an English translation of this quote)
- Synonyms: hoofdpersonage, hoofdpersoon
- 1780, M. C. Curtius, Aristoteles Verhandeling over de dichtkunst, tr. from German, publ. by Arend Fokke Simonsz., page 105.