What does Prius mean?

Boy are you about to be enlightened!
Prius is latin and means 'to go before" as such it is an adverb and not a noun.
The big argument comes in what do you call two of them. A lot of people will say Prii using the Hippopotamus logic. Others will say Priuses because it isn't Greek anyway. The real Mavens will come in with the Latin they learned in school with a whole raft of declensions, and yet others will since it ain't a noun all you can say is 1 Prius, 2 Prius. What do you call two "before"s

 

Prius Definition

I've heard it said many times that "Prius" means "to go before" like a verb but according to the link above it's actually an adverb. And that of course begs the question of how one would pluralize an adverb!

 

Latin to go before that is why you will see Prii the latin plural around. My brother in law the classics major in college says both i s are pronounced. He know more than me any one who can read the Iliad and Caesar in the original I will bow to on this subject.

 

Prius is a clever name - very descriptive of what this car is all about.

Kind of like the Chevy Nova ("no va" is Spanish for “it does not go.â€)

 

According to that site, it's also a third declension neuter noun or adjective. The plural of "prius" as either would be "priora". The common (masculine or feminine) form of the adjective is "prior", with plural "priores". You may have also come across the noun "prius" in its dative singular form in the familiar phrase "a priori".

"Prii" is incorrect - that would be the plural formation if it was a first declension masculine noun, which it isn't.

So the phrase "Toyota Prius" could potentially, if it was latin, mean "the leading Toyota" or "the Toyota in front". Doesn't agree in gender though - Toyota wouldn't a neuter noun, it'd be feminine, so it would have to be "Toyota Prior".

Of course, it's not really a Latin word in this context, so Priuses will do fine.

 

OK let me insert one other idea in here. English adopts words and can and will change the word from adjective to noun or verb. English has always done this. So we take in Prius and make it a noun. So what sort of noun is it now. I have to say I have no idea. Advanced grammar is beyond a dyslexic. Let the games begin. God I love this language, and hate it.

 

It's like SHAZAM:

Planet-friendly
Reliable
Innovative
Unavailabe
Smart Choice