Word part · Latin prefix
The Latin prefix pre-
Means: before.
At a glance
- Part
- pre-
- Meaning
- before
- Layer
- Latin: Prefixes, suffixes and roots behind many school and book words.
A Latin prefix taught early. Students can test it by asking what comes first: you preheat an oven before baking.
Example words
Read each word, then its sum: the parts that build it, and what they mean together.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
- pre (prefix)+heat (root or base)→preheat
heat before using, as with an oven
- pre (prefix)+view (root or base)→preview
a look at something before it comes out
- pre (prefix)+test (root or base)→pretest
a test given before the lessons
- pre (prefix)+school (root or base)→preschool
a school for children before they start kindergarten
- pre (prefix)+dict (root or base)→predict
say what will happen before it happens
- pre (prefix)+dict (root or base)+ion (suffix)→prediction
a statement about what will happen
- pre (prefix)+dict (root or base)+able (suffix)→predictable
can be predicted
- un (prefix)+pre (prefix)+dict (root or base)+able (suffix)→unpredictable
cannot be predicted
- pre (prefix)+script (root or base)+ion (suffix)→prescription
a written order from a doctor for medicine
- pre (prefix)+fer (root or base)→prefer
put one thing before another; like it better
- pre (prefix)+fer (root or base)+ence (suffix)→preference
the thing you like better
- pre (prefix)+pay (root or base)→prepay
pay before you get something
Original word lists and meanings written by Literacy Trail.
Taught alongside
Parts that share a lesson with pre-.
- in-in, or into
- con-with, or together
- re-again, or back
- -ivetending to, or having the quality of
- -tionthe act of, or the result of
- trans-across, or from one place to another
- mis-wrongly, or badly
- dis-not, the opposite of, or apart
- structbuild
- dictsay, or tell
- un-not, or the opposite of
- -ablecan be, or able to be
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