'prenominal' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae') meaning 'before' and the element 'nominal' from Latin 'nōmen' meaning 'name'.

'prenominal' derives from medieval Latin forms such as 'praenominalis' (or analogical formation from 'prae' + 'nōmen') and entered English as the adjective referring to position before a noun, yielding the modern English 'prenominal'.

Initially it carried the basic sense 'before the name' (literally before a name); over time it came to be used specifically in grammatical contexts to mean 'placed before a noun' or 'used before a noun'.