'pre-sternal' originates from the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'præ', meaning 'before') combined with 'sternal' (from Latin 'sternum', meaning 'breastbone' or 'chest bone').

'pre-' + 'sternal' was formed in Modern English by combining the Latin-derived prefix 'pre-' with the adjective 'sternal' (itself from Latin 'sternum'); the hyphenated form 'pre-sternal' appears in medical usage from the late 19th to early 20th century.

Initially it literally meant 'before the sternum' and has retained that specific anatomical meaning in medical usage.