[gamatt]

Hi again
Had the car a week now and people are asking me -- I was using the long i sound til I went to the dealership -- that's what it looks like. But the sales people all use the long e sound. How do you say Prius?
Greg
04 white #6

 

[Petrolmeiser]

I say pree-us

 

[Daniel]

I say pree-us

Me too.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I said Pr eye us, but everyone says Pr ee us so I have started saying that. Sometimes I slip still though

 

[mrv]

The original Latin is pr(long i)us. (long i) is pronounced like an English long e (phoenetically, EE).

So, phoenetically, it's PREE-us.

john1701a used to host some Prius commercials, you'll get the pronounciation from Toyota there...

 

[johnson487682]

Yes, I recall Toyota's commercials drew a similarity to the word "genius", so I think it's a fairly well-accepted fact that the first syllable should be pronounced "pree".

What puzzles me is I sometimes hear people pronounce the second syllable "ahss"; whereas, I've usually heard "uhss".

Douglas (2002 Silver, Wisconsin)

 

[hedwigtheprius]

I'm still weaning my mom off of calling it a "Pray-oos". She wants to make it a whole lot fancier than it is.

 

[madrigal]

It's latin ...

I'm italian and I've studied latin for a couple of years, so I can tell you that the word would be written Pr�s (accent on the i, a French may move it and say Pris). In latin each letter has a very exact and precise sound (except U and V because the sign U before middle age did not exist and was replaced by V, so a Caesar's car dealer would write it as PRIVS). The i is like e in the word "english" and the u is like the oo in the word "cartoon". The phonetic writing may be PREOOS or PRUS, in the last case U is like U in the word "University".

 

[goofyfootvic]

..what about pural?!

So, I get a sense that it's the phonetical "prEEuhs"
..what about plural?

Priuses? (prEEuhsIs)
Prii? (prEEeye)

Having an affinity for Classic language, I prefer and use Prii when I see fellow drivers on the road and talk about us all as a community. (i.e. "I'd love to get a group of 4 or 5 Prii and surround a Hummer H2 on the freeway and take pictures!)

Thoughts? other pluralized versions?

Cheers!

 

[goofyfootvic]

..what about pural?!

So, I get a sense that it's the phonetical "prEEuhs"
..what about plural?

Priuses? (prEEuhsIs)
Prii? (prEEeye)

Having an affinity for Classic language, I prefer and use Prii when I see fellow drivers on the road and talk about us all as a community. (i.e. "I'd love to get a group of 4 or 5 Prii and surround a Hummer H2 on the freeway and take pictures!)

Thoughts? other pluralized versions?

Cheers!

 

[PureSpeed1]

Everybody here says PREE-US.. I think it sounds better than Pr EYE US..

 

[john1701a]

> Everybody here says PREE-US

Think "FREE US" from all the evils of the 20th Century.

Also, the plural the in folk have been using for Prius is Prius. That stealth like approach allows us to conceal our numbers. Then before long, you'll discover there are Prius everywhere and the age of hybrids will be officially in high-gear (bad pun).

 

[madrigal]

Quod prius MMIV non fuit

In latin Prius is an adverb: no plural form at all! It's not like DATA (plural of datum) or MEDIA (plural of medium). Prius commonly means before, like in "Quod prius MMIV non fuit" (what did not exist before 2004)

 

[mrv]

Re: ..what about pural?!

So, I get a sense that it's the phonetical "prEEuhs"
..what about plural?

Priuses? (prEEuhsIs)
Prii? (prEEeye)

Having an affinity for Classic language, I prefer and use Prii when I see fellow drivers on the road and talk about us all as a community. (i.e. "I'd love to get a group of 4 or 5 Prii and surround a Hummer H2 on the freeway and take pictures!)

Thoughts? other pluralized versions?

Cheers!

The proper Latin plural is "priores".

But, Americans are used to cactus->cacti, so it's almost natural to assume "prii"

If "Prius" was an English word, "Priuses" would be correct.

Toyota seems to think that Prius is singular or plural, like sheep or deer.

Alternately, you could keep Prius as an adjective, so one Prius car or twenty Prius cars.

<shrug> use whatever you like, we'll all know what you're talking about.

 

[madrigal]

The proper Latin plural is "priores".

Sorry Michelle, but you are wrong : priores is the plural of prior (not prius); the meaning is quite similar, but is an adjective while Prius is an adverb. In the catholic church "priores" are the convent administrators.

P.S. Vadeboncoeur : what a beatiful last name!

 

[mrv]

The proper Latin plural is "priores".

Sorry Michelle, but you are wrong : priores is the plural of prior (not prius); the meaning is quite similar, but is an adjective while Prius is an adverb. In the catholic church "priores" are the convent administrators.

My understanding is that "prior" is the root word for "prius" (which is neuter in form)

 

[BIF]

I know the Toyota macromedia demo narrator pronounces it Pree-us.

As for the plural form, I suppose we could use Prium, Pria, or Prii. I think I like Prii (Pree-eye).

 

[madrigal]

respect for the dead

My understanding is that "prior" is the root word for "prius" (which is neuter in form)

I don't want to act as an old latin teacher, but I'm pretty involved with roman history and language. You are "partially" right prior and Prius have the same root, but have two grammatical different roles (so my old dictionary says) at least in the imperial age that is the latin still in use (Vatican town bank points af access show the first screen in latin).
I'm only asking to the anglosaxon a little respect for a dead language.
Ave atque vale, Michelle

 

[Phoenix]

I thought Latin was a dead language

Ok - really showing my age now. I had two years of Latin in high school, in the last century.

If "Prius" means "go before" as Toyota indicates in their ads, then the Latin verb root would seem to be "Prius" and the conjugation would be:

"Prius" - I go before
"Prias" - You (singular) go before
"Priat" - He, she or it goes before
"Priamus" - We go before
"Priatas" - You (plural) go before
"Priant" - They go before

And, I think the infinitive would be "Priore", TO go before.

Can infinitives be plural?

Way too much thinking for lunchtime...



In Latin, verbs have gender. "Prius" appears to be masculine as most masculine nouns end in "-us"; while feminine verbs end in "-a".

In most cases, the plural for masculine verbs is formed by replacing the "-us" with "i". Thus, "Prius" (singular, pronounced Pree-oos) becomes "Prii" (Pree-ee). In Latin, "i's" are pronounced "ee" (long-E).

If our hybrid cars were feminine, the noun would probably be "Pria" (pronounced Pree-uh), though I don't think there is such a word. And, the plural would be formed by adding "-ae", making it "Priae" (pronounced Pree-eye). In Latin, "ae" is pronounced like "aye" (long I).

Anyone out there willing to admit their age and contribute to the Latin discussion?

It would have been so much easier if Toyota had name this car "Sam" or something not so controversial.

 

[madrigal]

Adverb not verb

My goddnes, Phoenix, in my latin vocabulary (made a couple of years ago by two of the most known vatican latinist) does not exist a verb like Priare (and more than more Priore). Prius is an adverb like in "prius tua opinione" (before you can imagine) or in "neque prius fugere destituerunt quam ..." (they did not stop to run away before that ...).
It may be used also as adjective, but change meaning as in "nihil prius habere quam" (to have nothing more important than ...).
I think the idea of Toyota was : "Prius MMIV non fuit" (before 2004 it does not exist)
But anyway I liked your fantasy in declination