preparation English · revision 5992

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1390|origins=la praeparatio}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˌprep.ərˈeɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌprep.əˈreɪ.ʃən/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English preparacioun, [[bor|fro|preparacion]] and directly [[bor|la|praeparātiō|t=a making ready]] (accusative praeparationem),^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) a noun of action from the past participle stem of [[m|la|praeparāre|t=to prepare]] (see [[prepare]]),^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) from prae “before” and parāre “to make ready”,^(Etymonline) from the PIE root [[ine-pro|*perh₃-|alt=*pere-|t=to produce, procure]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The action of preparing or making ready: 1390 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Putting something into proper condition for use is from 1495,^(OED 1989) and an introduction or preface from 1526.^(OED 1989) An act that prepares for something, usually in the plural, is from 1560,^(OED 1989) and equipment, especially for war, from 1583–84.^(OED 1989) A capacity gained by training is from 1598.^(OED 1989) A substance specially prepared, such as a medicine, is from the 1640s.^(Etymonline) The getting ready of a lesson by study is from 1862,^(OED 1989) and in boarding schools prep is homework or the time set for it.^(Collins 2023) In music, preparation is the sounding of the dissonant note in the chord before.^(Collins 2023) In Lancashire, a preparation day was a day of religious service before communion.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1390 – the act of preparing.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1495 – putting into condition for use.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1560 – preparations, preliminary measures.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1640s – a prepared substance.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1862 – preparing a lesson.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act or process of getting ready.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(often plural)'' Something done to get ready: ''wedding preparations''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A substance specially prepared, such as a [[medicine]] or cosmetic.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(British)'' Homework, especially at a boarding school; [[prep]].^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(music)'' The sounding of a dissonant note in the preceding chord.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[prepare]]

+ * [[preparatory]]

+ * [[prep]]

+ * [[apparatus]]

+ * [[repair]]

+ * [[separate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}