Online Etymology Dictionary

pre-dawn (adj.): 1940, from pre- + dawn (n.).
pre-eclampsia (n.): also preeclampsia, 1903, from pre- + eclampsia. Related: Pre-eclamptic (1896).
pre-elect (v.): 1560s, from pre- + elect (v.). Related: Pre-elected; pre-electing.
pre-election (n.): 1580s, from pre- + election.
pre-electric (adj.): 1894, from pre- + electric.
pre-eminence (n.): also pre-eminence, c. 1200, from Late Latin praeeminentia "distinction, superiority," from Latin praeeminentem (nominative praeeminens), present participle of praeeminere "transcend, excel," literally "project forward, rise above," from prae "before" (see pre-) + eminere "stand out, project" (see eminent).
pre-eminent (adj.): also preeminent, mid-15c., from Medieval Latin preeminentem, from Latin praeeminentem (nominative praeeminens), present participle of praeeminare "to transcend, excel," literally "to project forward, rise above" (see pre-eminence). Related: Pre-eminently; preeminently.
pre-empt (v.): also preempt, 1830, "secure by pre-emtion," back-formation from pre-emption, originally American English. In the broascasting sense, it is attested from 1965, American English, a euphemism for "cancel." Related: pre-empted; preempted.
pre-emption (n.): also preemption, c. 1600, literally "the right of purchasing before others," from pre- "before" + emption.
pre-emptive (adj.): also preemptive, 1806, "pertaining to preemption;" from pre-emption + -ive. Specifically of an attack on an enemy who is plotting his own attack, 1958, a term from the Cold War. Related: Pre-emptively; preemptively.
pre-emptory (adj.): also preemptory, 1822, "relating to pre-emption," from pre-emption + -ory.
pre-engage (v.): "bind in advance by promise," 1640s, from pre- + engage (v.). Related: Pre-engaged; pre-engaging.
pre-exist (v.): 1590s, from pre- + exist. Related: Pre-existed; pre-existing.
pre-existence (n.): 1650s, from pre- + existence.
pre-existing (adj.): also preexisting, 1590s, past participle adjective from pre-exist. The medical insurance pre-existing condition is attested from 1942.
pre-law (adj.): "of or pertaining to study in preparation for law school," 1961, American English, from pre- + law (school).
pre-med (n.): "undergraduate student in preparation for medical school," 1934, from premedical. From 1941 as "a major in preparation for medical training." As an adjective from 1936.
pre-op (n.): 1913 as short for pre-operative (preparation).
pre-order (v.): 1630s, from pre- + order (v.). Marked in OED 2nd ed. as "rare." Related: Pre-ordered; pre-ordering.
pre-owned (adj.): 1961, American English, from pre- + owned. A euphemism for used.
pre-position (v.): "to position beforehand," 1946, from pre- + position (v.). Related: Pre-positioned; pre-positioning.
Pre-Raphaelite (n., adj.): c. 1848, in reference to the "brotherhood" (founded 1847) of Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and others (seven in all) who, encouraged by Ruskin, sought to revive the naturalistic spirit of art in the age before Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520).
pre-record (v.): 1937, from pre- + record (v.). Related: Pre-recorded; pre-recording.
pre-registration (n.): also preregistration, 1901, from pre- + registration.
pre-release (adj.): 1916, in reference to motion pictures, from pre- + release (n.).
pre-teen (adj.): also preteen, 1926, from pre- + teen. As a noun, "pre-teen person," from 1962. Sub-teen (1944) also was used.
preach (v.): at first in late Old English predician, a loan word from Church Latin; reborrowed 12c. as preachen, from Old French preechier "to preach, give a sermon" (11c., Modern French précher), from Late Latin praedicare "to proclaim publicly, announce" (in Medieval Latin "to preach"), from Latin prae "before" (see pre-) + dicare "to proclaim, to say" (see diction). Related: Preached; preaching. To preach to the converted is recorded from 1867 (form preach to the choir attested from 1979).
preacher (n.): c. 1200, from Old French preecheor "preacher" (Modern French prêcheur), from Latin praedicatorem (nominative praedicator) "public praiser, eulogist," literally "proclaimer" (see preach). Slang short form preach (n.) is recorded by 1968, American English.
preachment (n.): late 14c., "a preaching;" earlier "an annoying or tedious speech" (c. 1300); see preach (v.) + -ment. Related: Preachments.
preachy (adj.): 1819, from preach + -y (2). Related: Preachiness.
preamble (n.): late 14c., from Old French preambule (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin preambulum, neuter adjective used as a noun, properly "preliminary," from Late Latin praeambulus "walking before," from Latin prae- "before" (see pre-) + ambulare "to walk" (see amble (v.)).
preamplifier (n.): 1929, from pre- + amplifier. Shortened form pre-amp is attested from 1957.
preassembly (n.): 1921, from pre- + assembly.
prebend (n.): early 15c., from Old French prebende, earlier provende (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prebenda "allowance," from Late Latin praebenda "allowance, pension" (see provender). Related: Prebendary.
Precambrian (adj.): also Pre-Cambrian, 1861, from pre- + Cambrian.
precarious (adj.): 1640s, a legal word, "held through the favor of another," from Latin precarius "obtained by asking or praying," from prex (genitive precis) "entreaty, prayer" (see pray). Notion of "dependent on the will of another" led to extended sense "risky, dangerous, uncertain" (1680s). "No word is more unskillfully used than this with its derivatives. It is used for uncertain in all its senses; but it only means uncertain, as dependent on others ..." [Johnson]. Related: Precariously; precariousness.
precatory (adj.): 1630s, from Late Latin precatorius "pertaining to petitioning," from precatorem "one who prays," agent noun from precari "to pray" (see pray).
precaution (n.): c. 1600, from French précaution (16c.) and directly from Late Latin praecautionem (nominative praecautio) "a safeguarding," from past participle stem of Latin praecavere "to guard against beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + cavere "to be one's own guard" (see caution (n.)). The verb meaning "to warn (someone) in advance" is from c. 1700.
precautionary (adj.): 1720, from precaution + -ary.
precautious (adj.): 1680s, from precaution + -ous. Related: Precautiously; precautiousness.
precede (v.): early 15c., "lead the way; occur before," from Middle French preceder and directly from Latin praecedere "to go before," from prae "before" (see pre-) + cedere "to go" (see cede). Meaning "to walk in front of" is late 15c.; that of "to go before in rank or importance" is attested from mid-15c. Related: Preceded; preceding.
precedence (n.): late 15c., "a being a precedent," from precedent (n.) + -ence. Meaning "fact of preceding another, right of preceding another" is from c. 1600.
precedent (n.): early 15c., "case which may be taken as a rule in similar cases," from Middle French precedent, noun use of an adjective, from Latin praecedentum (nominative praecedens), present participle of praecedere "go before" (see precede). Meaning "thing or person that goes before another" is attested from mid-15c. As an adjective in English from c. 1400. As a verb meaning "to furnish with a precedent" from 1610s, now only in past participle precedented.
precedented (adj.): 1650s, past participle adjective from precedent, which is attested as a verb from 1610s.
precent (v.): "to lead others in singing," 1732, from Latin praecantare "to sing before," or a back-formation from precentor.
precentor (n.): 1610s, from Late Latin praecentor "a leader in singing," from Latin praecantare "to sing before," from prae "before" (see pre-) + canere "to sing" (see chant (v.)). For change of vowel, see biennial.
precept (n.): late 14c., from Old French percept, percet (12c.), from Latin praeceptum "maxim, rule of conduct, order," noun use of neuter past participle of praecipere "give rules to, order, advise," literally "take beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + capere (past participle captus) "to take" (see capable). For change of vowel, see biennial.
preception (n.): 1610s, from Latin praeceptionem (nominative praeceptio) "a previous notion, preconception," literally "a taking beforehand," noun of action from past participle stem of praecipere (see precept).
preceptor (n.): early 15c., "tutor, instructor" (earliest reference might be to "expert in the art of writing"), from Latin praeceptor "teacher, instructor," agent noun from praecipere (see precept). Medical training sense attested from 1803.
preceptorship (n.): 1764, from preceptor + -ship.