precontract

[ noun pree-kon-trakt; verb pree-kuhn-trakt, -kon-trakt ]

/ noun priˈkɒn trækt; verb ˌpri kənˈtrækt, -ˈkɒn trækt /

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noun

a preexisting contract that legally prevents a person from making another contract of the same nature.

(formerly) such an agreement constituting a legally binding betrothal.

verb (used with object)

to bind by means of a precontract.

to contract for or agree to do (something) by means of a precontract.

verb (used without object)

to make a precontract.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of precontract

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun); see pre-, contract

OTHER WORDS FROM precontract

pre·con·trac·tive, adjectivepre·con·trac·tu·al

[pree-kuhn-trak-choo-uhl], /ˌpri kənˈtræk tʃu əl/, adjective

How to use precontract in a sentence

Among the New England colonists there was a formal ceremony of betrothal, called a pre-contract or contraction.
The Historical Child|Oscar Chrisman
In the first years of the colonies there existed a formal ceremony of betrothal called in Plymouth a pre-contract.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England|Alice Morse Earle
But for my pre-contract, I had striven long ago to win her, and had been a happier man, mayhap.
The Dove in the Eagle's Nest|Charlotte M. Yonge
A frail fibre of hope offered itself in the story of the pre-contract with the Count of Lorraine.
History of England from the fall of Wolsey to the death of Elizabeth. Vol. III|James Anthony Froude

The documents relating to the pre-contract were not sent; his vexation converted a shadow into a reality.
History of England from the fall of Wolsey to the death of Elizabeth. Vol. III|James Anthony Froude

British Dictionary definitions for precontract

precontract

noun (priːˈkɒntrækt)

a contract or arrangement made beforehand, esp a betrothal

verb (ˌpriːkənˈtrækt)

to betroth or enter into a betrothal by previous agreement

to make (an agreement, etc) by prior arrangement

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