'predesign' originates from Latin and Old French, specifically the Latin prefix 'prae' (giving English 'pre-') and the Latin word 'designare' (via Old French 'designer'), where 'prae' meant 'before' and 'designare' meant 'to mark out or appoint'.

'predesign' developed as a compound from the prefix 'pre-' + 'design' (earlier written as 'pre-design' with a hyphen). 'Design' itself came from Latin 'designare' → Old French 'designer' → Middle English 'designen', and the compound form gradually consolidated into modern English as 'predesign'.

Initially, 'designare' meant 'to mark out or appoint'; with the addition of the prefix 'pre-' the compound came to mean specifically 'to make an initial or prior design' and is now used to refer to preliminary design work or the act of designing in advance.