English dictionary — definitions & meanings

precation

noun

A prayer or act of praying; an earnest request.

precatory

adj

Expressing a wish.

precaution

noun

An action taken in advance to prevent a problem or reduce a risk.

precautionary

adj

Done as a precaution, to prevent a possible problem.

precede

verb

To come before something else in time, order, or position.

precedence

noun

The condition of being more important or coming first in priority.

precedency

noun

Precedence; superiority.

precedent

noun

An earlier case, decision, or action used as a guide or justification for a similar one later.

preceding

adjective

Coming right before something else in time, order, or position.

precellence

noun

excellence, superiority, preeminence

precellency

noun

excellence, superiority, preeminence

precentor

noun

The person who leads songs or prayers in a cathedral, church, monastery, or synagogue and generally facilitates worship.

precept

noun

A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.

preceptor

noun

A teacher or tutor.

precepts

noun

Rules or principles that guide how a person should behave or how something should be done, especially ones drawn from a moral, religious or professional tradition.

precessor

noun

A predecessor; one who came before.

precinct

noun

A defined area or district, often one with a specific administrative or official purpose.

precious

adjective

Of great value or worth.

precipice

noun

A very steep cliff or drop.

precipitant

adj

Inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration; hasty, impulsive, rash.

precipitate

verb

To cause something to happen suddenly, often before it is ready to.

precipitation

noun

Rain, snow, hail, or any other form of water falling from the sky.

precipitous

adj

Steep, like a precipice

precise

adjective

Exact and accurate, with no vagueness or error.

precisely

adverb

In an exact way; exactly.

preciseness

noun

The condition of being precise; precision

precision

noun

The quality of being exact and accurate.

preclude

verb

To make something impossible or rule it out in advance.

preclusion

noun

The act of precluding.

precocious

adjective

Showing skills, knowledge, or maturity unusually early for one's age.

precocity

noun

The state of being precocious.

precog

noun

A precognitive person.

precognition

noun

Knowledge of the future; understanding of something in advance, especially as a form of supernatural or extrasensory perception.

precognitive

adj

Pertaining to the ability to see or predict future events.

preconceived

adjective

Formed as an opinion or idea before having real evidence or experience.

preconception

noun

An opinion formed before obtaining adequate evidence, especially as the result of bias or prejudice.

precondition

noun

A condition that requires satisfaction before taking a course of action.

precontact

adj

Before contact was established (especially with an indigenous people).

precursor

noun

Something or someone that comes before and leads to, or signals, what follows.

predaceous

adj

Surviving by preying on other animals.

predate

verb

To designate a date earlier than the actual one; to move a date, appointment, event, or period of time to an earlier point (contrast "postdate".)

predation

noun

The preying of one animal on others.

predator

noun

An animal that survives by hunting and eating other animals.

predatory

adjective

Living by hunting and killing other animals for food.

predecease

noun

The death of one person or thing before another.

predecessor

noun

A person who held a job, role, or position before the current person.

predella

noun

A raised step near the base of a Christian altar.

predestination

noun

The Christian doctrine that God has decided in advance who will be saved, so that a person's eternal fate is settled by divine choice rather than earned by their own actions.

predestine

verb

To determine the future or the fate of something in advance; to preordain.

predetermined

adjective

Decided or fixed in advance, before the event actually happens.

prediabetes

noun

The state in which blood glucose levels are above normal but have not reached those of diabetes.

predicament

noun

A difficult, awkward, or unpleasant situation.

predicate

noun

The part of a sentence that says something about the subject, containing the verb and anything that goes with it.

predict

verb

To say what will happen in the future, based on knowledge, evidence, or reasoning.

predictable

adjective

Able to be known or expected in advance.

predictably

adv

In a manner that can be expected or anticipated.

predicted

verb

Past tense and past participle of predict: said in advance that something would happen, on the basis of evidence, reasoning or experience.

predicting

verb

Making a statement about what will happen in the future, based on reasoning or evidence.

prediction

noun

A statement about something expected to happen in the future.

predictive

adjective

Able to be used for, or useful in, forecasting future outcomes.

predictor

noun

Something that anticipates, predicts, or foretells.

predilection

noun

A condition of favoring or liking; a tendency towards; proclivity; predisposition.

predisposed

adjective

Naturally inclined toward something, or more likely to develop it.

predisposition

noun

A natural tendency or higher likelihood toward a certain behavior, trait, or condition.

prednisone

noun

A steroid medication used to reduce inflammation and treat conditions like severe allergies, arthritis, and certain autoimmune diseases.

predominance

noun

The condition or state of being predominant; ascendancy, domination, preeminence, preponderance.

predominant

adj

Common or widespread; prevalent.

predominantly

adverb

Mostly or mainly; more than anything else.

predominate

verb

To dominate, have control, or succeed by superior numbers or size.

preeminence

noun

The status of being preeminent, dominant or ascendant.

preeminent

adj

Exceeding others in quality or rank; of outstanding excellence, extremely notable or important.

preempt

verb

To appropriate first.

preemptive

adjective

Done in advance to stop something bad from happening, or to gain an advantage before someone else can act.

preen

noun

A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth.

Preeti

name

A feminine given name of Indian origin, meaning "love" or "affection".

preface

noun

An introductory section at the start of a book, usually explaining its background or purpose.

prefatory

adj

Serving as a preface or prelude; introductory, preliminary.

prefect

noun

A senior school student given authority over younger pupils.

prefectural

adjective

Relating to a prefecture or its level of government.

prefecture

noun

A region or administrative division governed by a prefect, especially in countries like Japan or France.

prefer

verb

To like one thing better than another.

preferable

adjective

More desirable or better than an alternative.

preferably

adverb

Ideally; if there is a choice.

preference

noun

A liking for one thing over another.

preferences

noun

The settings a user chooses to customize how a piece of software or a device behaves.

preferendum

noun

A referendum offering a choice of several options.

preferential

adjective

Giving or showing favor to one person or group over others.

preferment

noun

Prior claim (on payment, or on purchasing something); the first rights to obtain a particular payment or product.

preferred

adjective

Liked or chosen above other options; favored.

preferrer

noun

A person who prefers (a stated person or thing).

prefigurative

adj

Related to prefiguration; that prefigures.

prefigure

verb

To show or suggest ahead of time; to represent beforehand.

prefiguring

noun

A specific instance in which something is prefigured

prefix

noun

A group of letters added to the front of a word to change its meaning, such as un- in unhappy or re- in rewrite.

preform

noun

An object that has undergone preliminary shaping but is not yet in its final form.

prefrontal

adjective

Relating to or located in the front part of the brain's frontal lobe, just behind the forehead.

preggers

adj

Pregnant; carrying developing offspring within one's body.

preggie

adj

Pregnant (carrying a baby).

pregnancy

noun

The condition of carrying a developing baby inside the body, from conception to birth.

pregnant

adjective

Carrying a developing baby inside the body; expecting a child.

prego

interjection

An Italian word used to reply to a thank-you, meaning "you're welcome", and also to invite someone to go ahead, sit down or help themselves.

preheat

verb

To heat beforehand or in advance, to heat something in preparation for further action.

prehension

noun

The act of grasping or gripping, especially with the hands.

prehistoric

adjective

Belonging to the time before humans kept written records.

prehistory

noun

The time before written records in any area of the world; the events and conditions of those times.

prejudice

noun

An unfair opinion or attitude formed in advance, without real knowledge or evidence.

prejudiced

adjective

Holding unfair, biased opinions about a person or group, usually without good reason.

prejudicial

adjective

Likely to cause harm or unfair disadvantage, especially in a legal or formal context.

prejudicious

adj

Acting with prejudice; having prejudice.

prelate

noun

A clergyman of high rank and authority, having jurisdiction over an area or a group of people; normally a bishop.

prelector

noun

Someone who reads lectures or discourses; a lecturer.

prelim

noun

A preliminary event, exam, or round that comes before the main one.

preliminary

adjective

Coming before the main event or process; introductory.

prelude

noun

An event or action that comes before and introduces something bigger.

prem

noun

Informal British shorthand for the Premier League, England's top football division.

premarital

adjective

Happening before marriage.

premature

adjective

Happening or arriving before the proper or expected time.

prematurely

adverb

In a way that happens too early, before the proper time.

premedication

noun

The administration of a drug (or mixture of drugs) prior to an anesthetic, especially to induce sedation; the drug so administered.

premeditated

adjective

Planned or thought out in advance, especially a crime.

premeditation

noun

The act of planning something, especially a crime, well before carrying it out.

premier

adjective

Ranked first in importance, quality, or status.

premiere

noun

The first public showing of a film, play, or other performance.

Preminger

name

A surname of Austrian-Jewish origin, notably borne by film director Otto Preminger.

premise

noun

A statement or idea assumed to be true and used as the basis for an argument or story.

premises

noun

A piece of land together with the buildings on it, especially as a single property.

premium

adjective

Of higher quality, price, or status than the standard version.

premodern

adj

Preceding or predating the modern era.

premonition

noun

A strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something bad, before there is any real evidence of it.

premortem

noun

An analysis of potential failure before it happens.

prenatal

adjective

Happening or existing before birth.

Prendergast

name

An Irish and Welsh surname.

prentice

noun

An older, now mostly historical or literary word for an apprentice.

Prentiss

name

An English surname, a variant of Prentice, originally meaning "apprentice".

prenup

noun

A legal agreement made before marriage setting out how assets would be divided if the marriage ends.

prenuptial

adjective

Occurring or made before marriage.

preoccupancy

noun

The act of taking possession before another.

preoccupation

noun

Something that dominates a person's thoughts and attention, often to the exclusion of other things.

preoccupied

adjective

So absorbed in one's own thoughts or concerns that one pays little attention to anything else.

preoccupy

verb

To distract; to draw attention elsewhere.

preoperative

noun

A transgender person who has not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery.

prep

verb

To get something or someone ready in advance.

prepackaged

adj

That has been packaged prior to being sold.

prepaid

adjective

Paid for in advance, before the goods or services are used.

preparation

noun

The act or process of getting ready for something.

preparatory

adjective

Done as preparation; serving to get something or someone ready.

prepare

verb

To make something or someone ready for a particular purpose or event.

prepared

adjective

Ready and willing to do something, or made ready in advance.

preparedness

noun

The state of being ready, especially for an emergency or difficult situation.

preparing

verb

Getting something or someone ready for a future event or use.