Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

prŏcer, ĕris, in sing. only Juv. 8, 26, and Capitol. Max. 2; prŏcĕres, um (anteclass. collat. form prŏcus, i, in the gen. plur.: procum patricium in descriptione classium quam facit, Serv. Tullius, significat procerum, Fest. p. 249 Müll.; cf.: jam (ut censoriae tabulae loquuntur) fabrum et procum audeo dicere, non fabrorum et procorum, Cic. Or. 46, 156), m. [pro and root kar- of creo; cf. procērus].

  1. I. Lit., a chief, noble; plur., the leading men, chiefs, nobles, princes (class.; syn.: primores, optimates, primi): scindunt proceres Pergamum, the Grecian chiefs, princes, * Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 130: audiebam nostros proceres clamitantes, Cic. Fam. 13, 15, 1: Latinorum, Liv. 1, 45, 2: Etruscorum, id. 2, 10: ego proceribus civitatis annumeror, Tac. A. 14, 53: Caecina Largus e proceribus, Plin. 17, 1, 1, § 5: delectos populi ad proceres, Verg. A. 3, 58: castrorum, Luc. 7, 69: in procerum coetu, id. 8, 261; Juv. 2, 121; 3, 213: proceres rerum, Sil. 11, 142.
    Transf., of bees: procerum seditio, Col. 9, 9, 6.
    In sing.: agnosco procerem, Juv. 8, 26: in pueritiā fuit pastor nonnumquam et procer, a leader, captain, Capitol. Max. 2.
  2. II. Trop., the foremost or most celebrated men, the masters in an art, science, etc. (post-Aug.): proceres artis ejus (medicinae), Plin. 29, 1, 8, § 26: sapientiae, id. 7, 30, 31, § 112: gulae, id. 9, 17, 30, § 66: indicatis in genere utroque (pingendi) proceribus, id. 35, 11, 40, § 138.