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Origin and history of prerequisite

prerequisite

1630s (n.) "a thing or condition required beforehand," 1650s (adj.), "required beforehand, necessary as a condition of something following;" see pre- "before" + requisite. A verb prerequire "require beforehand" is attested from 1610s.

also from 1630s

Entries linking to prerequisite

requisite(adj.)

"needed, necessary, required by circumstances or the nature of things, so needful that it cannot be dispensed with," mid-15c., from Latin requisitus, past participle of requirere "seek to know, ask, ask for" (see require). As a noun, "that which is necessary, something indispensable," from c. 1600. Related: Requisiteness.

pre-

word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre-, both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (source also of Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian prie "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura, Old English fore "before"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "beyond, in front of, before."

The Latin word was active in forming verbs. Also see prae-. Sometimes in Middle English muddled with words in pro- or per-.

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    requirement
    1520s, "request, requisition" (a sense now obsolete), from require + -ment. Meaning "things required, a need, something necessary" is from 1660s. Meaning "that which must be accomplished, necessary condition" is by 1841. Related: Requirements. Fowler points out that requirement "
    condition
    mid-14c., condicioun, "particular mode of being of a person or thing," also "a requisite or prerequisite, a stipulation,"...From the notion of "prerequisite" comes the sense of "a restricting or limiting circumstance" (late 14c.)....
    slush
    of slush "refuse fat from the cook's galley of a ship" (1756); the money from the sale of a ship's slush became a cook's prerequisite...
    obligation
    c. 1300, obligacioun, "a binding pledge, commitment to fulfill a promise or meet conditions of a bargain," from Old French obligacion "obligation, duty, responsibility" (early 13c.) and directly from Latin obligationem (nominative obligatio) "an engaging or pledging," literally "
    duty
    late 14c., duete, "obligatory service, that which ought to be done," also "the force of that which is morally right," from Anglo-French duete, from Old French deu "due, owed," hence "proper, just" (on the notion of "that which one is bound by natural, moral, or legal obligation t
    sine qua non
    "an indispensable condition," Latin, literally "without which not," from sine "without" (see sans) + qua, ablative fem. singular of qui "which" (from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns), + non "not" (see non-). Feminine to agree with implied causa. The La
    tacit
    c. 1600, "unspoken, noiseless, wordless; saying nothing, silent," by 1630s as "silently indicated or implied (in tacit approving), from French tacite and directly from Latin tacitus "that is passed over in silence, done without words, assumed as a matter of course, silent," past
    Buddha
    an epithet applied to the historical founder of Buddhism, 1680s, from Pali, literally "awakened, enlightened," past participle of budh "to awake, know, perceive," which is related to Sanskrit bodhati "is awake, observes, understands," from PIE root *bheudh- "be aware, make aware.
    tradition
    late 14c., "statement, belief, or practice handed down from generation to generation," especially "belief or practice based on Mosaic law," from Old French tradicion "transmission, presentation, handing over" (late 13c.) and directly from Latin traditionem (nominative traditio) "
    conversation
    mid-14c., "place where one lives or dwells," also "general course of actions or habits, manner of conducting oneself in the world," both senses now obsolete; from Old French conversacion "behavior, life, way of life, monastic life," and directly from Latin conversationem (nominat

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