prex

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛks

Etymology 1

From US college slang; from 1828.

Noun

prex (plural prexes)

1. (US, university slang) A president, especially of a university.

Synonyms

• (president, especially of a university): prexy

Etymology 2

Noun

prex (plural prexes)

1. Abbreviation of prefix.

Anagrams

• XPer

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *preks, from Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to request, ask”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /preks/, [prɛks̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /preks/, [prɛks]

Noun

prex f (genitive precis); third declension

1. prayer; request

   Synonyms: vōtum, rogātiō, precātiō, petītiō, postulātum

2. entreaty

   Synonyms: rogātiō, supplicium

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.15:

     post concedente et precibus ipsorum et misericordia vulgi

     then retired, both by entreaties of themselves or by compassion of the crowd

Declension

• The nominative singular, prex, and genitive singular, precis, are unattested in Classical Latin.

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	prex	precēs
Genitive	precis	precum
Dative	precī	precibus
Accusative	precem	precēs
Ablative	prece	precibus
Vocative	prex	precēs

Derived terms

• precārius
• precor

Related terms

• procō
• procor
• procāx

Descendants

• Italian: prece
• Portuguese: prece

References

• “prex”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “prex”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• prex in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• prex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to importune with petitions: precibus aliquem fatigare
    
  • to grant a request: precibus obsequi
    
  • to be influenced by, to yield to urgent (abject) entreaty: magnis (infimis) precibus moveri
    
  • to refuse, reject a request: repudiare, aspernari preces alicuius
    
  • to pray to God: adhibere deo preces
    
  • to pray: preces facere