Online Etymology Dictionary

predictive (adj.): 1650s, from Late Latin praedictivus, from praedict-, past participle stem of praedicere (see predict).
predictor (n.): 1650s, from Medieval Latin praedictor, agent noun from praedicere (see predict). Statistical sense is from 1950.
predilection (n.): 1742, from French prédilection (16c.), noun of action from Medieval Latin praedilectus, past participle of prediligere "prefer before others," from Latin prae- "before" (see pre-) + diligere "choose, love" (see diligent).
predispose (v.): 1640s, "to put into a certain frame of mind," perhaps a back-formation from predisposition. Related: Predisposed; predisposing.
predisposition (n.): 1620s, from pre- + disposition.
prednisone (n.): 1955, probably from elements of pregnadiene (from pregnane, name of the compound from which pregnancy hormones were derived, from the Latin stem of pregnancy) + ending from cortisone.
predominance (n.): 1590s; see predominant + -ance.
predominant (adj.): 1570s, from Middle French prédominant (14c.), from Medieval Latin *praedominantem (nominative praedominans), present participle of *praedominare, from Latin prae- "before" (see pre-) + dominari "to rule" (see dominate). Related: Predominantly.
predominate (v.): 1590s, from Medieval Latin predominatus, past participle of predominare (see predominant). Related: Predominated; predominating; predominatingly.
preemie (n.): "baby born prematurely," 1927, premy, American English shortening of premature + -y (2). Spelling with -ie attested from 1949.
preen (v.): "to trim, to dress up," late 14c., perhaps a variation of Middle English proynen, proinen "trim the feather with the beak" (see prune (v.)); or perhaps from Old French poroindre "anoint before," and Old French proignier "round off, prune." Middle English prene (from Old English preon, a general Germanic word) meant "to pin," and probably influenced the form of this word. Watkins, however, connects it with Latin unguere "to smear, anoint."

Because of the popularity of falconry, bird activities formerly were more closely observed and words for them were more precise in English than today.
Youre hawke proynith and not pikith and she prenyth not bot whan she begynnyth at hir leggys, and fetcheth moystour like oyle at hir taill. ["Book of St. Albans," 1486]
prefab (adj.): 1937, short for prefabricated (see prefabricate). As a noun, "prefabricated housing," from 1942.
prefabricate (v.): 1919 (implied in prefabricated), from pre- + fabricate (v.). Related: Prefabricating.
preface (n.): late 14c., from Old French preface "opening part of sung devotions" (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prefatia, from Latin praefationem (nominative praefatio) "fore-speaking, introduction," in Medieval Latin "prologue," noun of action from past participle stem of praefari "to say beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + fari "speak" (see fame (n.)).
preface (v.): 1610s, from preface (n.). Related: Prefaced; prefacing.
prefatory (adj.): 1670s, from Latin praefat-, past participle stem of praefari (see preface (n.)) + -ory.
prefect (n.): mid-14c., "civil or military official," from Old French prefect (12c., Modern French préfet) and directly from Latin praefectus "public overseer, superintendent, director," noun use of past participle of praeficere "to put in front, to set over, put in authority," from prae "in front, before" (see pre-) + root of facere (past participle factus) "to perform" (see factitious). Spelling restored from Middle English prefet. Meaning "administrative head of the Paris police" is from 1800; meaning "senior pupil designated to keep order in an English school" is from 1864. Related: Prefectorial.
prefectural (adj.): 1807, from prefecture + -al (1).
prefecture (n.): "administrative district of a prefect," mid-15c., from Middle French préfecture and directly from Latin praefectura, or assembled locally from prefect + -ure.
prefer (v.): late 14c., "to put forward or advance in rank or fortune, to promote," from Old French preferer (14c.) and directly from Latin praeferre "place or set before, carry in front," from prae "before" (see pre-) + ferre "to carry, to place" (see infer). Meaning "to esteem (something) more than others" also is recorded from late 14c. Original sense in English is preserved in preferment.
preferable (adj.): 1640s, from or on model of French préférable, from préfér (see prefer). OED notes preferrable is better English but has not prevailed. Related: Preferably.
preference (n.): mid-15c., "advancement in position or status;" 1650s as "act of prefering," from Middle French preference (14c., Modern French préférence), from Medieval Latin preferentia, from past participle stem of Latin praeferrere (see prefer). Sense of "that which one prefers" is from 1852.
preferential (adj.): 1805, from Medieval Latin preferentia, from Latin praeferre (see prefer) + -al (1).
preferment (n.): mid-15c., from prefer + -ment.
prefiguration (n.): late 14c., from Late Latin praefigurationem (nominative praefiguratio), noun of action from past participle stem of praefigurare "to prefigure" (see prefigure).
prefigure (v.): early 15c., from Late Latin praefigurare "to prefigure," from Latin prae "before" (see pre-) + figurare "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)). Related: Prefigured; prefiguring.
prefix (n.): 1640s, from Latin praefixum, noun use of neuter past participle of praefigere "fix in front, fasten on before," from prae "before" (see pre-) + root of figere "to fasten, fix" (see fix (v.)).
prefix (v.): early 15c., "appoint beforehand," from Middle French prefixer, from pre- (see pre-) + fixer (see fix (v.)). Meaning "to place at the beginning" is from 1530s; of words or parts of words from c. 1600. Related: Prefixed; prefixing.
preflight (adj.): also pre-flight, 1918 with reference to aviation, from pre- + flight (n.).
preformed (adj.): c. 1600, from Latin praeformare or else from pre- + formed (see form (v.)). Of plastic and synthetic products, from 1918.
preggers (adj.): 1942, from pregnant (adj.1).
preggo (adj.): Australian slang, 1951, from pregnant (adj.1).
preglacial (adj.): also pre-glacial, 1853, from pre- + glacial.
pregnable (adj.): 1530s, alteration of Middle English preignable, earlier prenable (early 15c.), from Old French prenable "assailable, vulnerable," from stem of prendre "to take, grasp, seize," from Latin prehendere "to take hold of, to seize" (see prehensile).
pregnancy (n.): 1520s (originally figurative), from pregnant (adj.1) + -cy. Literal use attested from 1590s.
pregnant (adj.2): "convincing, weighty, pithy," late 14c., "cogent, convincing, compelling" (of evidence, an argument, etc.); sense of "full of meaning" is from c. 1400. According to OED from Old French preignant, present participle of preindre "press, squeeze, stamp, crush," from earlier priembre, from Latin premere "to press" (see press (v.1)). But Watkins has it from Latin praehendere "to grasp, seize," and in Barnhart it is from Latin praegnans "with child," literally "before birth" and thus identical with pregnant (adj.1).
pregnant (adj.1): "with child," early 15c., from Latin praegnantem (nominative praegnans, originally praegnas) "with child," literally "before birth," probably from prae- "before" (see pre-) + root of gnasci "be born" (see genus).

Retained its status as a taboo word until c. 1950; modern euphemisms include anticipating, enceinte, expecting, in a family way, in a delicate (or interesting) condition. Old English terms included mid-bearne, literally "with child;" bearn-eaca, literally "child-adding" or "child-increasing;" and geacnod "increased." Among c. 1800 slang terms for "pregnant" was poisoned (in reference to the swelling).
preheat (v.): also pre-heat, 1878, from pre- + heat (v.). Related: Preheated; preheating.
prehensile (adj.): 1771, from French préhensile "adapted for grasping" (Buffon), from Latin prehensus, past participle of prehendere "to grasp, seize, get hold of," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + -hendere, from PIE root *ghend- "to seize, take" (see get (v.)). Latin -hendere is related to hedera "ivy," via notion of "clinging."
prehension (n.): 1530s, "seizure, arrest," from Latin prehensionem (nominative prehensio), noun of action from past participle stem of prehendere (see prehensile). Use in philosophy is from 1925.
prehistoric (adj.): 1832, modeled on French préhistorique; see pre- + historic.
prehistory (n.): 1869, perhaps a back-formation from prehistoric. Related: Prehistorian.
prejudge (v.): 1560s, from French préjuger (16c.), equivalent to Latin praejudicare "to judge beforehand;" see pre- + judge (v.). Related: Prejudged; prejudging; prejudgment.
prejudice (n.): c. 1300, "despite, contempt," from Old French prejudice "prejudice, damage" (13c.), from Medieval Latin prejudicium "injustice," from Latin praeiudicium "prior judgment," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + iudicium "judgment," from iudex (genitive iudicis) "a judge" (see judge (v.)). Meaning "injury, physical harm" is mid-14c., as is legal sense "detriment or damage caused by the violation of a legal right." Meaning "preconceived opinion" (especially but not necessarily unfavorable) is from late 14c. in English.
prejudice (v.): mid-15c., "to injure or be detrimental to," from prejudice (n.). The meaning "to affect or fill with prejudice" is from c. 1600. Related: Prejudiced; prejudicing.
prejudicial (adj.): early 15c., "causing prejudice;" 1530s, "full of prejudice," from prejudice (n.) + -al (1), or else from Middle French prejudicial and directly from Medieval Latin prejudicialis "injurious," from Latin praeiudicium.
prelapsarian (adj.): "pertaining to the condition before the Fall," 1834, from pre- + Latin lapsus "a fall" (see lapse (n.)) + ending from unitarian, etc.
prelate (n.): c. 1200, from Old French prelat (Modern French prélate) and directly from Medieval Latin prelatus "clergyman of high rank," from Latin praelatus "one preferred," noun use of past participle of praeferre (see prefer), from prae "before" (see pre-) + latus "borne, carried" (see oblate (n.)).
prelim (n.): 1891, short for preliminary (race, test, event, etc.).
preliminary (adj.): 1660s, from French préliminaire and directly from Medieval Latin praeliminaris, from Latin prae- "before" (see pre-) + limen (genitive liminis) "threshold" (see limit (n.)). A word that arose in reference to negotiations to end the Thirty Years' War. Earliest attested form in English is preliminaries (n.), 1650s.