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Webster 1913 Edition

Pre-

Pre-

.
[L.
prae
, adv. & prep., before, akin to
pro
, and to E.
for
, prep.: cf. F.
pré-
. See
Pro-
, and cf.
Prior
.]
A prefix denoting priority (of time, place, or rank);
as,
precede
, to go before;
pre
cursor, a forerunner;
pre
fix, to fix or place before
;
pre
ëminent eminent before or above others.
Pre-
is sometimes used intensively,
as in
pre
potent, very potent
.
[Written also
præ-
.]

Definition 2025

pre-

pre-

See also: pre, pré, pře, pré-, pře-, and Appendix:Variations of "pre"

English

Alternative forms

  • prae- (archaic, technical, or pedantic)
  • præ- (archaic, technical, or pedantic)

Prefix

pre-

  1. Before; used to form words meaning "in front of (in space)".
  2. Before; used to form words meaning "before (in time)".

Usage notes

  • This prefix is usually prefixed to words without using a hyphen (for example, prefix, predate). A hyphen is used in the following cases:
    • Where excluding a hyphen would be likely to lead to a mispronunciation of the word because "pre" appears not to be a complete syllable (for example, "pre-yaw course", which could be read as "prey aw course" if unhyphenated).
    • Always in British English before the letter e (for example, pre-existing)
    • Often in British English before other vowels (for example, pre-operative);
    • Always in all varieties of English before a character other than a letter (for example, pre-1960).

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>English words prefixed with pre-</a>

See also

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin prae- ‎(“before”).

Prefix

pre-

  1. Before; used to form words meaning "in front of" or "before".
  2. Before; used to form words meaning superiority or excellence.

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Catalan_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Catalan words prefixed with pre-</a>

Ido

Etymology

Borrowing from English pre-, French pré-, Italian pre-, Spanish pre-, Russian пред- ‎(pred-), пре- ‎(pre-)

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre-

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Ido_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Ido words prefixed with pre-</a>

Italian

Etymology

From Latin prae- ‎(“before”).

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre-

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Italian_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Italian words prefixed with pre-</a>

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin prae

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre-

References

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Norwegian_Bokm%C3%A5l_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Norwegian Bokmål words prefixed with pre-</a>

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin prae

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre-

References

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Norwegian_Nynorsk_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Norwegian Nynorsk words prefixed with pre-</a>

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin prae-.

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre- (before)

Romanian

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

From Latin per-, with a few cases influenced by prae.

Prefix

pre-

  1. used with verbs to indicate repetition or insistence

Examples: presăra, prelinge. Compare also prevedea, priveghea

Etymology 2

Borrowing from French pre-, Latin prae-.

  1. pre-

Synonyms

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Romanian_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Romanian words prefixed with pre-</a>

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *per-.

Prefix

pre-

  1. Prefix prepended to adjectives and adverbs to denote an excessiveness of a feature, too

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin prae- ‎(“before”), from the preposition prae.

Prefix

pre-

  1. pre-

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Spanish_words_prefixed_with_pre-'>Spanish words prefixed with pre-</a>

Etymology

From the Borrowing from Latin prae-, from the preposition prae ‎(“before”).

Pronunciation

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