preprandial

American  

[pree-pran-dee-uhl] / priˈpræn di əl /

adjective

1. before a meal, especially before dinner; anteprandial.

   a preprandial apéritif.

---

preprandial British  

/ priːˈprændɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the period immediately before lunch or dinner

   enjoy a preprandial drink

---

Etymology

Origin of preprandial

First recorded in 1815–25; pre- + prandial

Explanation

Anything preprandial happens before eating a meal. If you find yourself starving after school, you might have a preprandial snack to tide you over until dinner. Preprandial adds the "before" prefix, pre- to the Latin root prandium, "luncheon," or "a meal." It's not a very common adjective these days, and you're most likely to hear it used in a joking manner, or possibly in a doctor's instructions. A preprandial dose of medicine, for example, is supposed to be taken right before you eat. And you might be happy to see the preprandial bread basket a waiter brings before taking your order.

Example Sentences

But it’s easily converted to a more preprandial version by decreasing the amount of port and pear liqueur to ¼ ounce each.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2016

Would you come over to our very cozy little room and have a cup of tea or a preprandial cocktail?

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2015

It is sculptured to resemble a squirrel, hence the dish is announced in advance by one interpreter as "tree rat," provoking preprandial nausea among several F.F.s.

From Time Magazine Archive

He had done it, aided by a photograph, and by Johnnie Orgreave in details of perspective, and by dint of preprandial frequentings of the Sytch, as a gift for Mrs Orgreave.

From Clayhanger by Bennett, Arnold

There was no strain or uneasiness about the meeting; his "Hello, Beatrice," received by her almost on the wing as she passed on some slight preprandial mission, was a model of cordial familiarity.

From The Whirligig of Time by Williams, Wayland Wells