protasis

noun

prot·​a·​sis ˈprä-tə-səs 

plural protases ˈprä-tə-ˌsēz 

1

: the introductory part of a play or narrative poem

2

: the subordinate clause of a conditional sentence compare apodosis

protatic

prä-ˈta-tik 

prō-

adjective

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek, premise of a syllogism, conditional clause, from proteinein to stretch out before, put forward, from pro- + teinein to stretch — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1