pre-
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pre-
(word root) before
Examples of words with the root pre-:
predestination
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
pre-
pref.
1.
a. Earlier; before; prior to: prehistoric.
b. Preparatory; preliminary: premedical.
c. In advance: prepay.
2. Anterior; in front of: preaxial.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin prae-, from prae,
before, in front; see
per in
Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pre-
prefix
before in time, rank, order, position, etc: predate; pre-eminent; premeditation; prefrontal; preschool.
[from Latin
prae-, from
prae before, beforehand, in front]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pre-
a prefix, occurring orig. in loanwords from Latin, meaning “before, in front of,” “prior to, in advance of,” “surpassing” (
predict; preeminent; preface; premaxilla); in English, esp. productive in forming verbs that specify an activity taking place before or instead of the usual occurrence of the same activity (
preboard; precook; prepay), or in forming adjectives that specify a period of time prior to the event, period, person, etc., denoted by the headword (
pre-Columbian; preschool).
Also,
prae-.
[< Latin
prae-, prefixal use of
prae (preposition and adv.)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. A