ˈpräd.əsə̇s noun
( plural prota·ses -əˌsēz)
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek, from proteinein stretch out before, put forward, from pro- pro- (I) + teinein to stretch — more at thin
1.
a. : the first part of an ancient drama in which the characters are introduced and the argument explained
b. : the opening lines especially of a drama or narrative poem : the part preceding the epitasis : introduction — compare catastasis
2. : condition 2a(2) — contrasted with apodosis
3. : a proposition that serves especially as a premise in a syllogism or in reasoning : antecedent , conditional