Pre-

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Pre- is a prefix that means before or earlier. It’s put in front of a word to show something happens before another thing, or is prepared in advance. You can use it with nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

How it’s used:
- Time before: prehistoric, prehistory, prenatal, prewar
- In advance or ahead of time: prepare, prepay, preorder, preheat, preapprove
- To stop or avoid: prevent, preclude

Common examples:
- preview: a look at something before it happens
- preheat: to heat something before using it
- prevent: to stop something from happening
- preschool: school before the first grade
- prenatal: before birth
- prehistoric: before written history
- preexisting: existing before a certain time

Tips:
- If you see “pre-” at the start of a word, think “before” or “in advance.”
- The prefix keeps its meaning, and the root word stays the same.

Origin:
- From Latin prae meaning before.