Where does “pre-” come from?

pre- (English) comes from Middle English pre-, from Latin prae-, from Proto-Italic prai-, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

pre- (English): Before; physically in front of; anterior;...

Definitions

  1. Before; physically in front of; anterior;...

Ancestry of “pre-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpre-—
2Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
3Proto-Italicprai-pre-, before
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “pre-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European preh₂- →