fem. proper name, from Latin, fem. of Priscillus, diminutive of Priscus (fem. Prisca), from priscus "antique, ancient, of old; old-fashioned, primitive, venerable," from *pris-ko-, adjective from *pris-, *pri "before," probably from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before, first."
Entries linking to priscilla
*per- 1
Proto-Indo-European root forming prepositions, etc., meaning "forward," and, by extension, "in front of, before, first, chief, toward, near, against," etc.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit pari "around, about, through," parah "farther, remote, ulterior," pura "formerly, before," pra- "before, forward, forth;" Avestan pairi- "around," paro "before;" Hittite para "outside of," Greek peri "around, about, near, beyond," pera "across, beyond," paros "before," para "from beside, beyond," pro "before;" Latin pro "before, for, on behalf of, instead of," porro "forward," prae "before," per "through;" Old Church Slavonic pra-dedu "great-grandfather;" Russian pere- "through;" Lithuanian per "through;" Old Irish ire "farther," roar "enough;" Gothic faura "before," Old English fore (prep.) "before, in front of," (adv.) "before, previously," fram "forward, from," feor "to a great distance, long ago;" German vor "before, in front of;" Old Irish air- Gothic fair-, German ver-, Old English fer-, intensive prefixes.
Priscian n.
Late Latin Priscianus, name of the celebrated Roman grammarian (c. 500-530); commonly in the phrase break Priscian's head (1520s) "violate rules of grammar" (Latin diminuere Prisciani caput). For the name, see Priscilla.
Priscillian
mid-15c. in reference to a Christian heresy that took root in 4c. Spain, from Priscillian, bishop of Ávila, whose followers held ascetic and Gnostic doctrines. For the name, see Priscilla. Also a name given to 2c. Montanists, from their prophetess Prisca or Priscilla.