LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

praecō

praecō m (genitive praecōnis)

Meaning

  1. herald, crier
  2. auctioneer

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepraecōpraecōnēs
genitivepraecōnispraecōnum
dativepraecōnīpraecōnibus
accusativepraecōnempraecōnēs
ablativepraecōnepraecōnibus
vocativepraecōpraecōnēs

praeco, ōnis (old
I. dat, PRAECONEI, Inscr. Lat. 202, 2, 34), m., a crier, herald, in a court of justice, in popular assemblies, at auctions, at public spectacles, games, or processions, etc.: exsurge, praeco, fac populo audientiam, Enn. ap. Plaut. Poen. prol. 11 (Trag. v. 32 Vahl.); Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30, § 76; id. Quint. 3, 11; Varr. L. L. 6, §§ 86 and 87 Müll.: haec per praeconem vendidit, Cic. N. D. 3, 34, 84: in eopse astas lapide, ut praeco praedicat, on the auctioneer's block, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 7, 17; cf.: ut praeco, ad merces turbam qui cogit emendas, Hor. A. P. 419; Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 8; Juv. 6, 439; 8, 95: indictivum funus, ad quod per praeconem evocabantur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 106 Müll.—
II. Transf., a publisher, herald: o fortunate adulescens, qui tuae virtutis Homerum praeconem inveneris! Cic. Arch. 10, 24.

Origins

Per De Vaan, by syncope from *praedicō, *praedicōn-, with the same prefix and root as the verb praedicō (“proclaim, declare publicly”) from prae- + dicō (“dedicate, assign to”) combined with the agent noun suffix -ō, -ōn-. An alternative proposal derives it by syncope from *praevocō, *praevocōn-, from prae- and the root of the verb vocō (“call, invoke”).

Descendants
  • Portuguesepregãofrom Old Galician-Portuguese pregon
  • Spanishpregón
  • Catalanpregófrom Spanish pregón
  • Galicianpregónfrom Old Galician-Portuguese pregon

In English words that came into English from praecō

  • preconizepraecō

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPraecoPraeco a crier. Of these there were two distinct kinds--those in private employment, and those employed and paid by the state as subordinate attendant…

Quick answers

What does praecō mean in Latin?
praecō, a noun, means “herald, crier; auctioneer”.
What is the genitive of praecō?
The genitive singular is praecōnis. praecō is masculine, third declension.