pre-, prae-

1. Descriptive of something which is impossible to achieve or to do: Henry's physical disability resulted in a precluded career in athletics for him.
2.Relating to something which can be enjoyed because of an obstacle: The insufficiency of the precluded evidence prevented the conviction of George for robbing a bank in his neighborhood.

1. The act of impeding an action or event from taking place: Having all the doors and windows locked, including a system of alarms, was a preclusion which prevented any burglars from entering the house.
2. The state of hindering a person from the access of something: The preclusion of Grace's modesty restrained her from accepting the award presented her for helping the poor in her town.

Characteristic of something that is impossible to achieve: Adam's desire to be a professional baseball player was a preclusive objective after the severe injury to his throwing arm.

Regarding the condition of requiring relatively little parental care after being born or hatched, as by having hair or feathers, open eyes, and the ability to move around: Water birds, reptiles, and herd animals usually have precocial young.

1. A reference to a person who is more mentally developed than is usual at a certain age: Little six-year-old Max is a precocious boy with his cognitive skills and intelligence.
2. Relating to something that takes place at an early stage of development: One kind of magnolia produces precocious flowers before the leaves appear.

3. Etymology: from Latin praecox, praecoc-; from praecoquere "to ripen fully"; from prae, "before" + coquere, "to cook" + -ious, "characterized by". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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Unusually early development of mental or physical traits before the normal process takes place; premature development, particularly regarding a person's mental abilities: Jack's next-door neighbor exhibited precocity when she finished high school at fifteen and entered college when she was sixteen!

1. Foreknowledge regarding an upcoming event: In her dream, Rebecca had a precognition that her brother was going to visit her the next day, and sure enough, he did!
2. The extrasensory perception of a future event: It is said that some twins have a feeling of precognition for each other, knowing what the other one needs, or wishes for, or when he or she is in trouble. © ALL rights are reserved.

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A lethargic condition preceding a condition of prolonged unconsciousness; the neuropsychiatric state occurring before a coma: The precoma that is caused by hepatic encephalopathy, a brain dysfunction as a result of a liver disease, will generate disturbances of consciousness and a progression towards a comatoseness.

1. To form an opinion about something in advance: Mrs. Timmons conceptualised or preconceived ideas how to raise her children, even before she had any herself!
2. To form a premature notion or idea before possessing full or adequate knowledge or experience about it: David thought that his wife was preconceiving a life of leisure after giving birth to her first baby before knowing the real facts about baby care!
3. Etymology: from Latin concipere; from pre, "before" + capere, "to take".

1. A reference to an idea or opinion that has been formed beforehand, especially without evidence or as a result of previous judgement: Mrs. Snow had preconceived notions about teenagers being superficial, listening to rock music, and staying out the whole night!
2. Descriptive of something that is formed in the mind in advance, particularly if it is based on little or no information or experience and reflecting personal beliefs: Jack was very prejudiced about dogs and therefore had preconceived ideas that they always barked loudly during the night and smelled bad!

1. A conviction acquired before gaining satisfactory evidence: The preconception Mrs. Jones had of jazz being awful was based on bias and intolerance, because she only liked listening to classical music.
2. A prejudice that prevents rational consideration of an issue: Little Tommy had preconceptions about eating vegetables believing that they didn't taste good because he only liked eating burgers and chips!

Something which is essential before a subsequent result ensues; a prerequisite: There is a precondition which must be met before Joe's promotion can take place.

The creation of a situation in which a stimulus that is applied before will produce a certain response later: In her amateur psychological experiments with birds, Sadie planned a sequence of preconditioning which encouraged the birds to react positively to food that was presented to them.

A reference to the mental contents or movements in a person's mind that can be easily recalled to awareness or knowledge: Preconscious memories and feelings can be brought back in an individual through intended effort by a specialist.

To grill, fry, or broil something partially or completely for final preparation at a later time; to heat beforehand: Jane liked to precook her meals so she would have prepared dinners everyday after returning from teaching school.