'preclassical' originates from the Latin prefix 'prae-' (via English 'pre-'), meaning 'before', combined with 'classical' from Latin 'classicus' (via French 'classique' and Middle English 'classical').

'classicus' in Latin developed into Old French 'classique' and then Middle/Modern English 'classical'; the English prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae-') was attached to form 'pre-classical' in Modern English, later also written as 'preclassical'.

Initially, the components meant 'before' + 'pertaining to the highest class or to classical antiquity'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'belonging to or occurring before the classical period', a usage that has remained consistent in scholarly contexts.