pre-
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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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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Also prae- .
Definition for pre- (2 of 2)
P.R.E.
abbreviation
Petroleum Refining Engineer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for pre-
British Dictionary definitions for pre-
pre-
prefix
before in time, rank, order, position, etcpredate; pre-eminent; premeditation; prefrontal; preschool
Word Origin for 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
Medical definitions for pre-
pre-
pref.
Earlier; before; prior to:prenatal.
Anterior; in front of:preaxial.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.