[1520–30; pre- + (ad)monish]This word is first recorded in the period 1520–30. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ballast, bias, junior, normal, phrasepre- is a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “before”(preclude; prevent); applied freely as a prefix, with the meanings “prior to,” “in advance of,” “early,”“beforehand,” “before,” “in front of,” and with other figurative meanings (preschool; prewar; prepay: preoral; prefrontal)