Etymograph

English

preface

Preface comes from Medieval Latin prefātia, from Latin praefātiō ‘a saying beforehand’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *prai.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prai1‘before’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prai-1‘pre-, before’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraefor2‘to speak beforehand’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraefātiō2‘a saying beforehand’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prefātia2
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400preface2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preface2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1591preface2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin prae-
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English preface
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “This superficial tale / Is but a preface of…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*praiWiktionary, Latin prae-‘before’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prai-Wiktionary, Latin prae-‘pre-, before’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeforWiktionary, English preface‘to speak beforehand’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraefātiōWiktionary, English preface‘a saying beforehand’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prefātiaWiktionary, English preface
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prefaceWiktionary, English preface
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prefaceWiktionary, English preface
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1591prefaceWiktionary, English preface. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “This superficial tale / Is but a preface of…”

The story

Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from which derives the modern French préface), from Medieval Latin prefātia, for classical Latin praefātiō (‘a saying beforehand’), from praefor (‘to speak beforehand’), from prae- (‘beforehand’) + for (‘to speak’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’

for, first, premier, forbid, prairie, primer, primate, parasol, parley, portobello, primacy, 17 more

through Proto-Italic *prai ‘before’

pre, premonition, 8 more

through Proto-Italic *prai- ‘pre-, before’

prestigious, prefix, preeminent, prescient, precede, impregnate, 6 more

Today it means

noun A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the book and sometimes to acknowledge others' contributions; especially, such a discussion written by the work's own author.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “preface”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin prae-. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *prai / preface

Shirt and support for this word