preequilibrium

P3R1E1E1Q10U1I1L1I1B3R1I1U1M3

adjective

Before equilibrium

Scrabble 29

Meanings

adjectivepreequilibrium (not comparable)

alternative pre-equilibrium

  1. not comparableBefore equilibrium
nounpreequilibrium (plural preequilibria)

plural preequilibria · alternative pre-equilibrium

  1. The initial stage of a chemical reaction when the different chemicals are beginning to interact but have not yet reached equilibrium.

    The decomposition of peroxydisulfate to sulfate radical ions was taken to be a rapid preequilibrium, and was postulated to be followed by the rate-determining reaction of a sulfate radical ion with MG to produce a radical intermediate, I.

    1992, International journal of chemical kinetics, page 1110
    1 more example

    In cases involving multiple preequilibria (e.g., multiple substrates, induced conformational change), K.,, reveals little about each of these steps individually. In the case of allosteric interaction, characteristic kinetic behavior is...

    2009, Stephen J. Lippard, Current Research Topics in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Volume 18

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. Englishequilibrium
  10. Englishpreequilibrium

From pre- + equilibrium.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

preequilibrium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preequilibrium

MLA

“preequilibrium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preequilibrium. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preequilibrium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preequilibrium.

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