Where does “pre-” come from?
pre- (Middle English) comes from Latin prae-, from Proto-Italic prai-, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “pre-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | prai- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “pre-”