英和和英

語源

From Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, “a chief actor”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”). By surface analysis, prot- (“first”) +‎ agonist (“combatant, participant”).

発音

• (英国発音) IPA: /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/, /pɹəʊˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/
• (米国発音, Canada) IPA: /pɹoʊˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/, /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/
• (General Australian) IPA: /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/

名詞

protagonist (plural protagonists)

1. (authorship) The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.

   Antonym: antagonist

2. A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
3. (proscribed) An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action.
   • 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 198:

     It was toward the end of the sixteenth century that the communities in Venice, Mantua, Ferrara, Padua, and Casale Monferrato, inspired by the Renaissance music, wanted to introduce some modernization into the service. The greatest protagonist of the idea was the encyclopedic Jewish scholar Leon of Modena.

使用する際の注意点

The use of protagonist to mean a proponent or supporter of a cause is a 20th century development that may have been influenced by the misunderstanding that the first syllable of the word is the prefix pro-, meaning favouring. This usage is widely considered to be erroneous.

反意語

• antagonist

等位語

• deuteragonist
• tritagonist

派生語

関連する語

• agonist
• agonistes

参照

Further reading

• “protagonist”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “protagonist”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.