preemphasis

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noun

Amplification applied to certain frequencies of a signal to improve its signal-to-noise ratio.

OriginEnglish emphasis ← Middle English pre- ← Latin prae- →
Scrabble 20
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Meanings

nounpreemphasis (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAmplification applied to certain frequencies of a signal to improve its signal-to-noise ratio.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Middle Englishpre-
  8. Englishpre-
  9. Englishemphasis
  10. Englishpreemphasis

From pre- + emphasis.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

preemphasis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preemphasis

MLA

“preemphasis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preemphasis. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preemphasis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preemphasis.

Source: preemphasis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.