pre-

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).

Origin of pre-

<Latin prae-, prefixal use of prae (preposition and adv.); akin to first, fore-, prior¹, pro¹

Also prae- .

Other definitions for P.R.E. (2 of 2)

P.R.E.

abbreviation

Petroleum Refining Engineer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pre- in a sentence

He has picked pre-primary brawls with Christie, Perry, and Marco Rubio.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign | Olivia Nuzzi | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
At that time, pre -9/11, the links were more subtle and had to be hunted down.
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism | Louise I. Shelley | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
While in pre-trial detention, Krivov undertook two hunger strikes.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015 | Movements.Org | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At his year-end, pre-Hawaii press conference, we caught a rare glimpse of peak Obama.
The Liberation of the Lame Duck: Obama Goes Full Bulworth | John Avlon | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Instead, the military commission proceedings are bogged down in a pre-trial phase, as it has been for the past three years.
Prosecutors Have No Idea When 9/11 Mastermind’s Trial Will Start | Tim Mak | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The Spaniards, indeed, feigned to regard them only as a remnant of the rebels who had joined the pre-existing brigand bands.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
Doubtless the commentator habit is fixed in the nature of man; but it was pre-eminently mediaeval.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn Taylor
From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
Dr. Wilson says, in the statistical accounts of Scotland, many of which are suggestive of a pre-Raleigh period.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
Offered to Him that liveth for ever and ever, it celebrates his eternal pre-existence and existence to eternal ages.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for pre-

pre-

prefix

before in time, rank, order, position, etc: predate; pre-eminent; premeditation; prefrontal; preschool

Origin of pre-

from Latin prae-, from prae before, beforehand, in front

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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