Etymograph

English

preparatory

Preparatory comes from Late Latin praeparatorius, from Latin praeparō ‘to get ready, prepare’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to grant’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perh₃-1‘to grant’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃-o-1‘providing’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparō2‘prepare’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeparō3as praeparātor‘to get ready, prepare’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpraeparatorius4
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preparatori4
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1934preparatory4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin paro
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin praeparo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin praeparatorius
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English preparatory
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains: “A butcher bird has stirred, tuned its flute with…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perh₃-Wiktionary, Latin paro‘to grant’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃-o-Wiktionary, Latin paro‘providing’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparōWiktionary, Latin praeparo‘prepare’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeparōWiktionary, Latin praeparatoriusas praeparātor‘to get ready, prepare’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpraeparatoriusWiktionary, English preparatory
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preparatoriWiktionary, English preparatory
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1934preparatoryWiktionary, English preparatory. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains: “A butcher bird has stirred, tuned its flute with…”

Equivalent to prepare + -atory

Latin parō ‘to make ready’

Latin praeparō ‘to make ready in advance’

Middle French preparer ‘to prepare’

English prepare

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to grant’

part, expert, experiment, parental, parcel, para, parity, 44 more

through Latin parō ‘prepare’

several, empire, imperial, separate, emperor, repair, separation, apparel, apparatus, empress, parachute, severance, disparate, imperium, imperious, inseparable, rampart, pare, separator, separable, reparation, imperator, 16 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to preparation, having the purpose of making something or someone ready, preparative.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “preparatory”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin paro, Latin praeparo, Latin praeparatorius. 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-Indo-European *perh₃- / preparatory

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