'preconfiguration' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praeconfiguratio,' where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'configuratio' meant 'arrangement or shaping.'

'praeconfiguratio' transformed into the French word 'préconfiguration,' and eventually became the modern English word 'preconfiguration.'

Initially, it meant 'arranging or shaping something beforehand,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.