Rather, potius: citius: prius. Sooner than, potius quam; citius quam; prius quam; also, non tam cito... quam (putting, of course, the epithet that is preferred after the quam; e.g., quem tu non tam cito rhetorem dixisses, quam...: πολιτικόν, i. e., would sooner call a πολιτικός than a rhetorician): I would sooner die than, etc., mori malo, quam, etc.