Προτένθαι

foretasters

Translated by David Whitehead17 Mar 2010Vetting: high5 revisions

63 words

[Meaning] those prematurely tasting the sacrifices, or snatching [them] in advance and selling [them] at a higher price -- the men nowadays called metaboloi; those who make a pre-emptive strike on the delicacies, before they are taken into the agora. But proute/nqeusan [sc. means] they licked beforehand, they anticipated the due time, whether gripped by enthusiasm or overcome by the thought of gain.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Προτένθαι· οἱ πρὸ καιροῦ τῶν προσφαγίων ἀπογευόμενοι, ἢ οἱ προαρπάζοντες καὶ μεταπιπράσκοντες πλείονος, οἱ νῦν μετάβολοι καλούμενοι· οἱ προλαμβάνοντες τὰ ὄψα, πρὶν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν κομισθῆναι. Προὐτένθευσαν δὲ προελιχνεύσαντο, προέλαβον τὴν προθεσμίαν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπιθυμητικῶς ἔχειν ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ κερδαίνειν ἡττώμενοι.

Betacode

*prote/nqai: oi( pro\ kairou= tw=n prosfagi/wn a)pogeuo/menoi, h)\ oi( proarpa/zontes kai\ metapipra/skontes plei/onos, oi( nu=n meta/boloi kalou/menoi: oi( prolamba/nontes ta\ o)/ya, pri\n ei)s th\n a)gora\n komisqh=nai. *prou)te/nqeusan de\ proelixneu/santo, proe/labon th\n proqesmi/an, u(po\ tou= e)piqumhtikw=s e)/xein h)\ u(po\ tou= kerdai/nein h(ttw/menoi.

Notes

From the scholia to Aristophanes, Clouds 1198 (where the primary headword, a nominative plural, occurs: web address 1) and 1200 (where the subsidiary lemma occurs). For metaboloi, see mu 682. But note, in addition to the purely ethical aspects of the word focused on here, the possibility that protenthai were actual Athenian officials with quasi-religious functions: see Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 4.171C-D (4.71 Kaibel); Dover ad loc.; and generally LSJ s.v.
For this term in a more straightfoward sense, see pi 2870.

References

K.J. Dover (ed.), Aristophanes: Clouds (OUP 1968)

External resources

Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu

Linked from1 entry

π2870ΠροτένθηςgreedyA gourmandiser. Aelian [writes]: "greedy and gluttonous".

Neighbouring entries

π2867Προτέλειονpre-ceremony, introduction π2868Προτεμενίσματαouter courts, outer precincts π2869Προτένθαιforetasters π2870Προτένθηςgreedy π2871Πρό τε παίδων καὶ πρὸ γυναικῶνboth for children and for women

Revision history5 revisions · last 6 Dec 2021

6 Dec 2021coding — Catharine Roth
20 Oct 2013Revised — David Whitehead
23 May 2010added link, raised status — Catharine Roth
23 May 2010typo — David Whitehead
23 May 2010set status — Catharine Roth
17 Mar 2010Translated — David Whitehead

Translation