What does the prefix 'pre-' mean?

What does the prefix 'pre-' mean?

• A. after
• B. in front of
• C. before
• D. within

Answer: (C)

The prefix pre- means before in time or order. It’s used to show that something happens earlier than the thing it’s attached to. For example, preheat means to heat before, preview means to see before, and predict means to tell before something occurs. That temporal sense is what pre- communicates most clearly. The other options don’t fit because they convey different ideas: after is the opposite of before (usually shown by post-), within points to something inside or interior (often intra- or endo-), and in front of describes a spatial location rather than a temporal sequence. So pre- best aligns with the meaning of before.

The prefix pre- means before in time or order. It’s used to show that something happens earlier than the thing it’s attached to. For example, preheat means to heat before, preview means to see before, and predict means to tell before something occurs. That temporal sense is what pre- communicates most clearly.

The other options don’t fit because they convey different ideas: after is the opposite of before (usually shown by post-), within points to something inside or interior (often intra- or endo-), and in front of describes a spatial location rather than a temporal sequence. So pre- best aligns with the meaning of before.