Etymology

prejacent

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Today it means: Existing previously, preexistent. Full definition →

Middle French prejacent ← Latin praeiacens
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frompraeiacens“situated before”
  2. Middle French · borrowed fromprejacent“previously existing”
  3. English todayprejacent

Multiple origins. Borrowed from Middle French prejacent (“previously existing”) during the sixteenth century. Also attested in twelfth century British sources, from post-classical Latin praeiacens (“situated before”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.