"P" Word Origins

precentor

Origin

From French précenteur, from Latin praecentor, from praecentus (“sung before”), from praecinō (“to sing before”) + -or (“agent suffix”), from prae- + canĕre (“to sing”).

precept

Origin

Borrowed from Late Latin praeceptum, form of praecipiō (“to teach”), from Latin prae (“pre-”) + capiō (“take”).

preceptor

Origin

From Middle English preceptor, preceptur, from Latin praeceptor (“commander; instructor”), from the verb praecipiō + -or (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from prae- (“pre-, fore-: before”) + capiō (“to take; to get, to take in, to understand”).

precepts

Latin

Plural of precept, from Latin praeceptum "rule, instruction", from praecipere "to instruct, take beforehand".

precessor

Origin

Latin praecessor.

precinct

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin precinctum, \"an enclosure or boundary,\" ultimately from Latin praecingere, \"to surround or gird\" — the same root that gives us \"cinch.\"

precious

Latin

From Old French precios, from Latin pretiosus (\"costly, valuable\"), from pretium, \"price\" — the same root as \"price\" itself.

precipice

Latin

From Latin praecipitium, \"a steep place,\" built from praeceps, \"headfirst\" — literally prae- (\"before\") plus caput (\"head\").

precipitant

Origin

The adjective is borrowed from Middle French précipitant, Old French precipitant (“acting hastily, hasty, rash; acting, happening, or moving rapidly; pressing”) (modern French précipitant), and from their etymon Late Latin praecipitans (“hasty, rash”), an adjective use of Latin praecipitāns, the present participle of praecipitō (“to cast down; to throw headlong”), from praeceps (“head first, headlong; (figurative) hasty, rash”) (from prae (“before; in front”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before; in front”)) + -ceps (suffix meaning ‘having a head with specified characteristics’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“a head”))). The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

precipitate

Latin

From Latin praecipitare, \"to throw headlong,\" from praeceps, \"headfirst\" — the same root as precipice.

precipitation

Latin

From Latin praecipitatio, from the verb praecipitare, \"to throw headlong\" — the same root family as precipice and precipitate.

precipitous

Origin

From obsolete French précipiteux, from Vulgar Latin *praecipitōsus, from praeceps, praecipit- (“ precipice”) + -ōsus (“-ful, -ous”), from prae- (“before”) + caput (“head”). Equivalent to precipice (“steep cliff, brink”) + -ous.

precise

Latin

From Latin praecisus, \"cut off short,\" from prae- (\"before\") plus caedere (\"to cut\") — the idea of something trimmed down to exactly the right size.

precisely

Origin

From precise plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

precision

Latin

From Latin praecisio, formed the same way as precise plus -ion.

preclude

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin praecludere, \"to shut off, close in advance,\" from prae- (\"before\") plus claudere (\"to close\").

preclusion

Origin

Borrowed from Latin praeclusio, praeclusionis, from Latin praecludo.

precocious

Latin

From Latin praecox, \"ripening early,\" from praecoquere, \"to ripen beforehand\" — literally related to cooking or ripening ahead of schedule. Surprisingly, "apricot" comes from the very same root.

precocity

Origin

From French précocité.

precog

Origin

Clipping of precognitive. Coined by American author Philip K. Dick in 1954, and popularized in his 1956 short story "The Minority Report".

precognition

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French precognition or its source, Latin praecognitio, from praecognōscō (“to know beforehand”). Doublet of Germanic-based foreknowledge and Greek-based prognosis. Equivalent to pre- + cognition.

precursor

Latin

From Latin praecursor, \"forerunner,\" from praecurrere, \"to run ahead.\"

predaceous

Origin

From Latin praedor + -aceous.

predation

Origin

Borrowed from Latin praedātiō, praedātiōnis, from praedor (“pillage, plunder”), from praeda (“plunder, spoils”).

predator

Latin

From Latin praedator, \"plunderer,\" from praedari, \"to loot or pillage,\" from praeda, \"spoils or prey.\"

predatory

Latin

From Latin praedatorius, formed the same way as predator plus -y.

predecessor

Late Latin

From Old French predecesseor, from Late Latin praedecessor, from prae- (\"before\") plus decessor, \"one who retires,\" from decedere (\"to withdraw, to die\").

predella

Origin

Borrowed from Italian predella, from Lombardic pretil.

predestination

Latin

From Latin praedestinare meaning 'to determine beforehand', from prae 'before' and destinare 'to appoint'.

predestine

Origin

From Old French prédestiner, from Medieval Latin praedestinare. By surface analysis, pre- + destine. Displaced native Old English foreteohhian.

predetermined

Origin

From pre- (\"before\") plus determined.

predicament

Late Latin

From Late Latin praedicamentum, \"that which is predicated or asserted,\" via Old French — the meaning later narrowed to describe a tricky spot to be in.

predicate

Latin

From Latin praedicatum "that which is said of something", from praedicare "to proclaim, declare".

predict

Latin

From Latin praedicere, \"to say beforehand,\" from prae- (\"before\") plus dicere (\"to say\").

predictable

Origin

From predict plus the adjective-forming suffix -able.

predicted

Latin

From Latin praedicere meaning 'to foretell', from prae 'before' and dicere 'to say'.

prediction

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin praedictio, formed from predict plus -ion.

predictive

Latin

From Latin praedictivus, from predict plus the adjective-forming suffix -ive.

predilection

Origin

Borrowed from Medieval Latin praedīlēctiō.

predisposed

Origin

From pre- (\"before\") plus disposed.

predisposition

Origin

From pre- (\"before\") plus disposition.

predominance

Origin

From predominant + -ance. By surface analysis, pre- + dominance.

predominant

Origin

From Middle French prédominant, ultimately from Medieval Latin praedominans. By surface analysis, pre- + dominant.

predominantly

Origin

From predominant plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

predominate

Origin

From Latin praedominātus, past participle of praedominor. By surface analysis, pre- + dominate.

preeminence

Origin

From Latin praeēminēntia.

preeminent

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French preeminent and its source, Latin praeēminēns, present participle of praeēmineō (“to stand out, excel”), from prae- (“pre-”) + ēmineō.

preempt

Origin

Back-formation from preemption.