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previous

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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“Going before, leading the way”, from 1658, is obsolete.[7] In parliamentary procedure the previous question, from 1700–15, is the motion whether the main question shall now be put to a vote.[7][2] Previous to,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

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)