pre-

¹ American  

Also prae-

1. a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “before” (preclude; prevent ); applied freely as a prefix, with the meanings “prior to,” “in advance of,” “early,” “beforehand,” “before,” “in front of,” and with other figurative meanings (preschool; prewar; prepay; preoral; prefrontal ).

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P.R.E. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Petroleum Refining Engineer.

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pre- British  

prefix

1. before in time, rank, order, position, etc

   predate

   pre-eminent

   premeditation

   prefrontal

   preschool

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Etymology

Origin of pre-

< Latin prae-, prefixal use of prae (preposition and adv.); akin to first, fore-, prior ¹, pro ¹

Example Sentences

Perhaps most infamous: the 1997 segment where a child portrayed by a pre–Sixth Sense Haley Joel Osment reveals to another character that “Walker told me I have AIDS.”

From Slate

Meanwhile, the management of the captain‑led pre‑kick‑off huddle in the 1-0 home loss to Newcastle drew ridicule and frustrated officials, and Rosenior's side have appeared increasingly open defensively during their run of three straight defeats.

From BBC

The Artemis II crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – have entered pre flight quarantine and will travel to Florida closer to launch to take part in various rehearsals, including suiting up and travelling to the pad.

From BBC

A potential February launch was ruled out after a pre‑flight test - known as a wet dress rehearsal - was cut short when hydrogen rocket fuel leaked from a connection linking the launch tower to the rocket.

From BBC

The IRS limit on total pre- and post-tax contributions is about $75,000, so I have been working the last few years to pad our Roth savings.

From MarketWatch