Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prerace” come from?

prerace (English) comes from English race, from Middle French race, from Italian razza, from Italian razzo, from Italian raggio, from Latin radius, from English -án, from Middle English -an.

prerace (English): Occurring before, or in preparation for, a race

Definitions

  1. Occurring before, or in preparation for, a race

Ancestry of “prerace”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishraceA contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc....
2Middle Frenchracerace; breed
3Italianrazzarace, breed; kind, type; family, descent
4Italianrazzoskyrocket; Ellipsis of razzo di segnalazione;...
5Italianraggioray, beam, shaft; spoke; radius
6Latinradiusray; staff, rod; spoke
7English-án—
8Middle English-an—
Every word from Middle English -an →