<B>prefix, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a syllable, syllables, or word put at the beginning of a word to change its meaning or to make another word. <I>Pre-</I> in <I>pre</I>paid, <I>under-</I> in <I>under</I>line, <I>dis-</I> in <I>dis</I>appear, <I>un-</I> in <I>un</I>like, and <I>re-</I> in <I>re</I>open are prefixes. <BR> <I>Ex. Prefixes are affixes which precede the root with which they are most closely associated (H. A. Gleason).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a title put before a person's name, such as Mr., Dr., Sir, Rev., or Hon. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Logic, Mathematics.) a symbol, number, or statement, that is put before a formula or proposition. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to fix beforehand. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) to fix in one's mind beforehand. <BR><I>expr. <B>prefix to,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to put (something) before. </I> <I>Ex. We prefix "Mr." to a man's name.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to add as a prefix. <BR> <I>Ex. to prefix a syllable to a word.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prefixal">
<B>prefixal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of the nature of a prefix. <DD><B> 2. </B>characterized by prefixes. adv. <B>prefixally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="prefixation">
<B>prefixation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the use or forming of prefixes. </DL>
<A NAME="prefixion">
<B>prefixion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act of prefixing. </DL>
<A NAME="preflight">
<B>preflight, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> preceding or occurring before flight, as of an aircraft, missile, or satellite. <BR> <I>Ex. a preflight inspection of a plane, preflight training.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="preform">
<B>preform, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to form or shape beforehand. </DL>
<A NAME="preformation">
<B>preformation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of shaping beforehand. <DD><B> 2. </B>an old theory of generation according to which the individual exists complete in the germ cell, further development being merely in size. </DL>
<A NAME="preformationist">
<B>preformationist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who accepts the theory of preformation. </DL>
<A NAME="preformative">
<B>preformative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> determining form beforehand; preforming. </DL>
<A NAME="prefrontal">
<B>prefrontal, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with the anterior portion of the frontal part of the brain. <DD><I>noun </I> a bone in the anterior part of the skull of certain vertebrates, especially in amphibians and reptiles. </DL>
<B>prefrontal lobotomy,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a brain operation in which the nerves between the hypothalamic region and the cerebral cortex are cut to relieve the symptoms of mental illness. </DL>
<A NAME="preganglionic">
<B>preganglionic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> lying in front of or preceding a ganglion. <BR> <I>Ex. preganglionic neurons.</I> </DL>
<B>pregnability, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> capability of being attacked; vulnerability. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnable">
<B>pregnable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> open to attack; assailable; vulnerable. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnancy">
<B>pregnancy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>pregnant quality or condition. <BR> <I>Ex. to go through the last months of pregnancy, (Figurative.) a remark of obvious pregnancy.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the period of being pregnant. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnancydisease">
<B>pregnancy disease,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disease of ewes caused by carbohydrate deficiency and occurring in the last month of pregnancy, most often in older ewes carrying twins or triplets; twin lamb disease. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnane">
<B>pregnane, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a steroid hydrocarbon, the parent substance of the adrenocorticotropic hormones, a form of which is found in urine during pregnancy. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnant">
<B>pregnant</B> (1), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>soon to have a baby; having an embryo or embryos developing in the uterus; being with child or young. <DD><B> 2. </B>filled; loaded. <BR> <I>Ex. The silence was pregnant with tragedy (Harper's).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) fertile; rich; abounding. <BR> <I>Ex. a mind pregnant with ideas.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) filled with meaning; significant. <BR> <I>Ex. Most proverbs are pregnant sayings. Historians will one day record our country's successes and failures in world affairs during these pregnant middle years of the twentieth century (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) disposed; ready. <BR> <I>Ex. The pregnant instrument of wrath Prest for this blow (Shakespeare).</I> adv. <B>pregnantly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="pregnant">
<B>pregnant</B> (2), adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) (of an argument, evidence, reason, or the like) urgent; weighty; compelling. <BR> <I>Ex. One of the constables, besides the pregnant proof already produced, offers to make oath (Scott).</I> (SYN) cogent. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnantmaresserum">
<B>pregnant mare's serum,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a serum containing a hormone taken from pregnant mares and injected into ewes or cows to control ovulation. </DL>
<A NAME="pregnenolone">
<B>pregnenolone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a drug obtained from stigmasterol and other steroids, used in the treatment of extreme fatigue, arthritis, and certain diseases. </DL>
<A NAME="prehallux">
<B>prehallux, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a rudimentary structure found on the inner side of the tarsus of some mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, supposed to represent an additional digit. </DL>
<A NAME="preheat">
<B>preheat, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to heat before using. <BR> <I>Ex. to preheat a pot before making tea.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="preheater">
<B>preheater, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a furnace, hot chamber, or the like, in which something is placed, or through which something is passed, in order to be preheated. </DL>
<A NAME="prehensile">
<B>prehensile, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> adapted for seizing, grasping, or holding on. Many monkeys have prehensile tails. </DL>
<A NAME="prehensility">
<B>prehensility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the character of being prehensile. </DL>
<A NAME="prehension">
<B>prehension, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of taking hold physically; grasping; seizing. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) grasping with the mind; mental apprehension. </DL>
<A NAME="prehensive">
<B>prehensive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>seizing or laying hold of. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) apprehending. <BR> <I>Ex. a prehensive mind.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prehensory">
<B>prehensory, </B>adjective. =prehensive.</DL>
<A NAME="prehistorian">
<B>prehistorian, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who studies the remains, customs, and conditions of prehistoric times. </DL>
<A NAME="prehistoric">
<B>prehistoric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or belonging to times before histories were written. <BR> <I>Ex. Some prehistoric people lived in caves. Prehistoric men and animals are known from skeletal materials found in the crust of the earth (Beals and Hoijer).</I> adv. <B>prehistorically.</B> </DL>
<B>prehistory</B> or <B>pre-history, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> history before recorded history; prehistoric matters or times. <BR> <I>Ex. A team of archeologists ... has discovered in that unexplored waste traces of a lost people of pre-history (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prehnite">
<B>prehnite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mineral consisting of a hydrous silicate of aluminum and calcium, occurring in crystalline aggregates, and usually of a pale-green color. </DL>
<A NAME="prehominid">
<B>prehominid, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with a group of extinct, manlike primates regarded as immediate ancestors of the hominids. <DD><I>noun </I> a prehominid animal. <BR> <I>Ex. Walking upright was initiated by prehominids (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prehormone">
<B>prehormone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a rudimentary or incipient hormone. </DL>
<A NAME="preignition">
<B>preignition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the ignition of the explosive mixture in an internal-combustion engine before the piston is in a position to begin its working stroke, especially before the inlet valve has closed or before full compression of the mixture is reached in the cylinder; autoignition. </DL>
<A NAME="preindustrial">
<B>preindustrial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> existing or occurring before industrialization. <BR> <I>Ex. It would take ... 500 years for Lake Michigan to return to its preindustrial purity (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prejudge">
<B>prejudge, </B>verb, <B>-judged,</B> <B>-judging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to pass judgment on (a person, opinion, action, or condition) beforehand, especially without knowing all the facts. <BR> <I>Ex. The jury was reminded to keep an open mind during the trial and not to prejudge the case.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to judge beforehand; judge without knowing all the facts. noun <B>prejudger.</B> </DL>
<B>prejudgment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act of prejudging; judgment before full knowledge or examination of the case; decision or condemnation in advance. <BR> <I>Ex. I listen that I may know, without prejudgment (George Eliot).</I> </DL>
