1089
prepare
pre-med /pri:'med/ n, adj AmE abbrev. for premedical; the university course a student takes before entering medical school: premed studies | She's premed (=she is taking pre-medical studies).
pre-medi-tat-ed /pri:'mediteitid||pri-/ adj often derog planned in advance and done on purpose: premeditated murder | a premeditated attack on my reputation → opposite UNPREMEDITATED —ion /pri:medi'tei∫n||pri-/ n [U] fml The jury has to decide if the act was committed with premeditation.
pre-men-stru-al /pri:'menstruəl/ adj tech happening just before a PERIOD
pre,menstrual 'tension abbrev. PMT also pre,men-strual 'syndrome n [U] the unpleasant feelings including tiredness, headaches and bad temper felt by many women during the days before a PERIOD, that are caused by changes in the levels of HORMONES in the body. In the past, many people did not take women seriously when they complained about these feelings. It is now generally accepted that PMT is quite common and can cause real suffering and upsetting changes in behaviour.
prem·i·er¹ /'premiə||prı'mıər/ n often cap. (especially in newspapers) PRIME MINISTER: The Irish premier is paying an official visit to Britain. | 'Premier Wilson resigns' (news story title) —ship n
premier² adj [A] fml apprec finest or most important: She attended Britain's premier university.
'Premier Division, the /'l. '... .../ the top group of professional football clubs in Scotland, consisting of 12 teams who play against each other → compare PREMIERSHIP
prem·i·ere¹, -ère /'premiær||prı'mıər/ n the first public performance of a play or film
premiere², -ère v [T often pass.] to give a premiere of (a play or film): His film was premiered in New York.
Prem·i·er·ship, the /'premiə∫ip||prı'mıər-/ the 20 best football teams in England and Wales, who play against each other. The group includes Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea. The Premiership LEAGUE began with the 1992–1993 season. At the end of each season, the bottom three clubs leave and are replaced by the top three teams from the First Division.
prem·ise /'premis/ n 1 fml a statement or idea on which reasoning is based: [+that] British and American justice works on the premise that an accused person is innocent until he's proved guilty. 2 also prem·iss /'premis/ — tech (in LOGIC) either of two statements (major premise and minor premise) from which a third statement can be proved to be true
prem·ised /'premist/ adj be premised on/upon to be based on a particular idea or belief: The program is premised on the idea that drug addiction can be cured.
prem·is·es /'premisiz/ n [P] a building with any surrounding land, considered as a particular piece of property: Taxes on business premises are higher than those on private premises. | Food bought in this shop may not be eaten on the premises. (=must be taken away and eaten somewhere else)
pre·mi·um¹ /'pri:miəm/ n 1 [C] the cost of insurance, especially the amount that you pay each year: insurance premiums 2 [C] an additional amount of money, above a standard rate or amount: Consumers are prepared to pay a premium for organically grown vegetables. | Top quality cigars are being sold at a premium. 3 be at a premium if something is at a premium, people need it or want it, but there is little of it available or it is difficult to get: During the Olympic Games, accommodation will be at a premium. | space/time is at a premium: Foldaway furniture is the answer where space is at a premium. 4 put/place a premium on sth to consider one quality or type of thing as being much more important than others: Modern economies place a premium on educated workers. 5 [U] especially AmE good quality petrol
premium² adj [A] 1 of very high quality: premium ice cream | premium quality British potatoes 2 (of prices) higher than normal prices: People are prepared to pay premium prices for quality products.
premium bond n (often caps.) (in Britain) a numbered piece of paper bought from the government, that gives the buyer the chance of a monthly prize of a small or large amount of money → see also ERNIE
pre·mo·ni·tion /,premə'nı∫ən, ,pri:-/ n [(of)] a feeling that something, especially something unpleasant, is going to happen; forewarning: The day before her accident, she had a premonition of danger.
pre·mon·i·to·ry /prı'mɒnıtərı||-'ma:nıtɔ:ri/ adj fml giving a warning
pre·na·tal /,pri:'neitl/ adj AmE for ANTENATAL —ly adv
pre·nup·tial a·gree·ment /pri:,nʌp∫əl ə'gri:mənt/ → see PREMARITAL CONTRACT
pre·oc·cu·pa·tion /pri:,ɒkju'peı∫n||-,aık-/ n 1 [S;U (with)] the state of being preoccupied: Such an excessive preoccupation with one's health can't be normal. 2 [C] something that takes up one's attention: He's got so many preoccupations at the moment that he ignores his family completely.
pre·oc·cu·pied /pri:'ɒkjupaıd||-'aık-/ adj [(with)] with the mind fixed on something, especially something worrying, so that one pays no attention to anything else: a preoccupied expression | Come and see me next week, when I'm not so preoccupied with the annual accounts.
pre·oc·cu·py /pri:'ɒkjupai||-'aIk-/ v [T] to fill the thoughts of (someone or someone's mind) almost completely, especially so that not enough attention is given to other things: Something's been preoccupying you lately – what is it?
pre·or·dain /,pri:ɔ:'dein||-ɔ:r-/ v [T(to) usually pass.] fml (especially of God or fate) to fix or decide in advance or from the beginning: I sometimes think our failure was preordained. | [+(that)] Perhaps it was preordained that we should fail. | [+obj+to-v] We seemed preordained to fail. —ment, also -dination /,pri:ɔ:'deı'neı∫n||-ɔ:r-/ fml n [C;U]
prep¹ /prep/ n [U] BrE infml school work that is done at home. This word is more often used by children in private schools than in STATE SCHOOLS where the usual word is HOMEWORK.
prep² v -pp- AmE infml 1 [I] to attend PREPARATORY school: My little brother's still prepping. 2 [I] to do school work at home 3 [T] to prepare (someone) for an operation or examination: The nurse prepped the patient for surgery.
prep³ n written abbrev. for PREPOSITION
pre·pack /,pri:'pæk/ also pre·pack·age /-'pækıdʒ/ v [T] to wrap up (food or other articles) before offering it for sale
pre·paid /pri:'peid/ adj already paid for: Return the film in the prepaid envelope. (=the user does not have to put a stamp on)
prep·a·ra·tion /,prepə'reı∫n/ n 1 [U(for, of)] the act or process of preparing: He didn't do enough preparation for his exam, and failed. | Plans for the new school are now in preparation. (=being prepared) 2 [C(for) usually pl.] an arrangement for a future event: Preparations for the queen's visit are almost complete. 3 [C] something that has been made by mixing a number of (chemical) substances, usually for use as a medicine, COSMETIC etc: a new preparation for cleaning the skin
pre·par·a·to·ry /prı'pærətərı||-tɔ:ri/ adj [A] 1 done in order to get ready for something: preparatory talks to clear the way for a settlement 2 preparatory to fml as a preparation for; before: several meetings preparatory to signing the contract
pre'paratory ,school also prep school infml — n 1 (in Britain) a private school for children between the ages of 8 and 13, where they are made ready to attend a school for older pupils, usually a PUBLIC SCHOOL. Only a small PERCENTAGE of school-age children attend these schools. Most preparatory schools are for boys only or girls only. 2 (in the US) a private school that makes pupils ready for college
pre·pare /prı'peər/ v 1 [T(for)] to put into a suitable state for a purpose, event, or experience: First prepare the rice by washing it, then cook it in boiling water. | a course that prepares students for the English exams | [+obj+to-v] preparing the city to withstand an attack 2 [T(for)] to put together or make, e.g. by combining things: The defence lawyers asked for another week to prepare their case. | John is preparing a meal for us. | [+obj(l)+obj(d)] John is preparing us a meal. 3 [I;T(for)] to get ready or make by collecting supplies, making necessary arrangements, planning, studying etc: Will you help me prepare for the party? | Who prepared these