Etymologically
Log in

preschool

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 09:33. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈpɹiːskuːl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English pre- (“before”) + school.[2][3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the time or age before a child is old enough for school: 1879, in Alexander Bain's Education as a Science.[2] Other dictionaries date the adjective later: Etymonline to 1886, Merriam-Webster to 1914 and Barnhart to 1924.[4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective soon also described a class or centre attended by children not yet old enough for school.[2] The noun, a nursery school, began in the United States: the OED's first record is from 1925,[2] Merriam-Webster dates it about 1925 and Barnhart 1934, while Etymonline gives 1910.[5][3][4] In British use the adjective refers to the age before compulsory education begins.[7]

Timeline

  • 1879 – adjective, of the years before school age.[2]
  • 1910 – noun, a nursery school, in Etymonline's dating.[4]
  • 1925 – the noun, in the OED's first record.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to the years of a child's life before it starts school, or to children of that age: preschool children.[7][5][2]
  2. Of services such as playgroups, provided for children of this age.[7][2]

Noun

  1. A school for young children before kindergarten or primary school; a nursery school.[5][2][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins