previous

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpriː.vi.əs/^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin praevius (“going before, leading the way”) with the suffix -ous,^[2][3][4] from prae- (“before”) and via (“road, way”),^[2][5] from Proto-Indo-European *wegh-.^[5] It is related to via.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Coming before in time or order”: 1621 according to Merriam-Webster,^[6] 1625 according to Barnhart and the OED,^[3][7] or the 1620s.^[2]

Semantic evolution

“Going before, leading the way”, from 1658, is obsolete.^[7] In parliamentary procedure the previous question, from 1700–15, is the motion whether the main question shall now be put to a vote.^[7][2] Previous to, “before”, is from 1719.^[7] At Cambridge the Previous Examination was the first examination for the B.A., from 1828.^[7] In colloquial use, first American, previous means “premature, too hasty”, from 1885.^[7][8] In slang previous or previous convictions is a criminal record, from 1935.^[7]

Timeline

• 1621 – coming before.^[6]
• 1658 – leading the way (obsolete).^[7]
• 1700–15 – the previous question.^[7]
• 1719 – previous to.^[7]
• 1885 – premature (US colloquial).^[7]
• 1935 – previous convictions (slang).^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Existing or happening before something else; prior: the previous day.
2. (informal) Done too soon; premature.

Noun

1. (British slang) A criminal record.

Word family

• previously
• previousness
• previous question
• previous to

Related words

• via
• obvious
• pervious
• impervious
• deviate
• trivial

Usage notes

In Devon dialect previous meant “early”: “I'm a little previous this morning”.^[9]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)