pre-emption (n.)

also preemption, c. 1600, "a purchase by one before an opportunity is offered to others," originally as a right; literally "a purchasing before others," from pre- "before" + emption "purchase."

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to pre-emption

emption (n.)

late 15c., "purchase," from Latin emptionem (nominative emptio) "a buying, purchasing; thing bought," noun of action from emptus, past-participle of emere "to buy" (from PIE root *em- "to take, distribute").

pre-empt (v.)

also preempt, 1830, "secure (land, etc.) by pre-emption, occupy (public land) so as to establish a pre-emptive title to it," a back-formation from pre-emption or pre-emptive, originally American English. In the broadcasting sense of "set aside (a program) and replace it with another" it is attested from 1965, American English, a euphemism for "cancel." Related: pre-empted; preempted.

See all related words (6) >

Trends of pre-emption

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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logogriph

logos "word" (see Logos) + gripos/griphos "riddle," a figurative use, literally "fishing basket, creel," probably from a pre-Greek..."The variation [p/ph] is typical for Pre-Greek words; such an origin for a fisherman's word is quite understandable" [Beekes...

prima donna

The erroneous form premadonna (or pre-madonna) is attested from at least 1950s and increasingly after 1990s....Not to be confused with the adjective pre-Madonna (by 1991), in reference to popular music before the rise to stardom of...

Apollo

The name is probably Pre-Greek, and Hitt....Appaliunaš, mentioned in a treaty between Alaksandus of Wilusa and the Hittite king, may well be the Pre-Greek proto-form...

glaucous

Beekes says it is probably a substratum word from Pre-Greek....Greek for "owl" was glaux, perhaps from its bright, staring eyes, but this, too, might be an unrelated Pre-Greek word....

lay

it is "most often connected with" Hittite lahh- "campaign" and Old Irish laech "warrior," but that the form "is rather Pre-Greek..., and has a Pre-Greek suffix -it(o)-....

ceramic

from Greek keramikos, from keramos "potter's earth; tile; earthen vessel, jar, wine-jar, pottery," which perhaps from a pre-Hellenic...He concludes, "this technical term for tile-making may well be Pre-Greek (or Anatolian)."...

tomb

Watkins suggests it is perhaps from PIE root *teue- "to swell," but Beekes writes that it is probably a Pre-Greek (non-IE...He writes that Latin tumulus "earth-hill" and Armenian t'umb "landfill, earthen wall" "may contain the same Pre-Greek/Mediterranean...

right

[correct, morally correct, direct] Old English riht, of actions, "just, good, fair, in conformity with moral law; proper, fitting, according to standard; rightful, legitimate, lawful; correct in belief, orthodox;" of persons or their characters, "disposed to do what is good or ju

appropriation

late 14c., appropriacioun, "the taking of (something) as private property," from Late Latin appropriationem (nominative appropriatio) "a making one's own," noun of action from past-participle stem of appropriare "to make one's own," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + propriare "take

mean

"intend, have in mind;" Middle English mēnen, from Old English mænan "intend (to do something), plan; indicate (a certain object) or convey (a certain sense) when using a word," from Proto-West Germanic *menjojanan (source also of Old Frisian mena "to signify," Old Saxon menian "

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updated on October 07, 2020

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Dictionary entries near pre-emption

pre-electric

preemie

pre-eminence

pre-eminent

pre-empt

pre-emption

pre-emptive

pre-emptory

preen

pre-engage

pre-exilic