The main character in a literary work.

Struggle, or conflict, is central to drama. The protagonist or hero of a play, novel, or film is involved in a struggle of some kind, either against someone or something else or even against his or her own emotions. So the hero is the “first struggler,” which is the literal meaning of the Greek word *pr**tag**nist* *s.* A character who opposes the hero is the *antagonist,* from a Greek verb that means literally “to struggle against.”

(1) A code of diplomatic or military rules of behavior. (2) A set of rules for the formatting of data in an electronic communications system.

The basic meaning of *proto-* is a little harder to follow in this word. *Protocol* comes from a Greek word for the first sheet of a papyrus roll. In English, *protocol* originally meant “a first draft or record,” and later specifically the first draft of a diplomatic document, such as a treaty. The “diplomatic” connection led eventually to its current meaning of “rules of behavior.” Someone wearing Bermuda shorts and sandals to a state dinner at the White House would not be acting “according to protocol,” and royal protocol forbids touching the queen of England except to shake her hand. But *protocol* is also now used for other sets of rules, such as those for doing a scientific experiment or for handling computer data.

The substance that makes up the living parts of cells.

After the word *protoplasm* was coined in the mid-19th century for the jellylike material that is the main substance of a cell, it began to be used widely, especially by scientists and others who imagined that the first life- forms must have arisen out of a great seething *protoplasmic* soup. Since protoplasm includes all the cell's living material, inside and outside the nucleus, it is a less useful scientific word today than more precise terms such as *cytoplasm*, which refers only to the living material outside the nucleus. But many remain fascinated by the image of that soup bubbling away as the lightning flashes and the volcanoes erupt.

(1) An original model on which something is patterned. (2) A first, full-scale, usually working version of a new type or design.

A prototype is someone or something that serves as a model or inspiration. A successful fund-raising campaign can serve as a prototype for future campaigns, for example, and the legendary Robin Hood is the *prototypical* honorable outlaw, the inspiration for countless other romantic heroes. But the term is perhaps most widely used in the world of technology; every new “concept car,” for example, starts off as a unique prototype.

An outer room that leads to another and is often used as a waiting room.

One expects to find an antechamber outside the private chambers of a Supreme Court Justice or leading into the great hall of a medieval castle. In the private end of the castle the lord's or lady's bedchamber would have its own antechamber, which served as a dressing room and sitting room, but could also house bodyguards if the castle came under siege. *Anteroom* is a less formal synonym, one that's often applied to the waiting rooms of professional offices today.

(1) To date something (such as a check) with a date earlier than that of actual writing. (2) To precede in time.

Dinosaurs antedated the first human beings by almost 65 million years, though this stubborn fact never used to stop cartoonists and screenwriters from having the two species inhabit the same story line. Dictionary editors are constantly noticing how the oral use of a word may antedate its first appearance in print by a number of years. Antedating a check or a contract isn't illegal unless it's done for the purpose of fraud (the same is true of its opposite, *postdating*).

(1) A word or phrase that is referred to by a pronoun that follows it. (2) An event or cause coming before something.

A basic principle of clear writing is to keep your antecedents clear. Pronouns are often used in order not to repeat a noun (so instead of saying “ Sheila turns 22 tomorrow, and Sheila is having a party,” we replace the second “ Sheila” with “she”). But sloppy writers sometimes leave their antecedents unclear (for instance, “ Sheila helps Kathleen out, but she doesn't appreciate it,” where it isn't clear who “she” is). Watch out for this possible problem when using not just *he* and *she* but also *they, them, it, this,* and *that*. And keep in mind that *antecedent* isn't just a grammar term. You may talk about the antecedents of heart disease (such as bad eating habits), the antecedents of World War II (such as the unwise Treaty of Versailles), and even your own antecedents (your mother, grandfather, etc.).

(1) Located before or toward the front or head. (2) Coming before in time or development.

*Anterior* generally appears in either medical or scholarly contexts. Anatomy books refer to the anterior lobe of the brain, the anterior cerebral artery, the anterior facial vein, etc. Scholar and lawyers may use *anterior* to mean “earlier in time or order.” For example, supporters of states' rights point out that the individual states enjoyed certain rights anterior to their joining the union. And prenuptial agreements are designed to protect the assets that one or both parties acquired anterior to the marriage.