pre-revolutionary
|pre-rev-o-lu-tion-ar-y|
🇺🇸
/ˌpriːrɛvəˈluːʃənɛri/
🇬🇧
/ˌpriːrɛvəˈluːʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/
before a revolution
Etymology
'pre-revolutionary' originates from Latin and English components: the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae') meaning 'before', combined with 'revolutionary' (from 'revolution' from Latin 'revolutio', via French 'révolution').
'revolution' came from Latin 'revolutio' (a turning), passed into French as 'révolution', then into Middle/Modern English as 'revolution'; 'revolutionary' was formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ary' in English. The prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae') was later attached to form 'pre-revolutionary' to denote 'before the revolution'.
Initially related to the literal idea of a 'turning' or 'cycle' (from Latin 'revolutio'), the combined form 'pre-revolutionary' has come to mean specifically 'belonging to the period immediately before a political revolution' in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person, group, or thing associated with the period before a revolution (used less commonly; plural: 'pre-revolutionaries').
Many pre-revolutionaries were intellectuals and reformers.
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Adjective 1
existing or occurring before a political revolution; belonging to the period immediately prior to a revolution (e.g., pre-revolutionary France).
The novel is set in pre-revolutionary Russia.
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Last updated: 2025/10/05 09:36