'preplanning' originates from the prefix 'pre-' meaning 'before' and the word 'planning' from 'plan', which comes from the French word 'plan', meaning 'a drawing or diagram'.

'preplan' was formed by combining 'pre-' with 'plan', and eventually became the noun 'preplanning'.

Initially, it meant 'to plan before an event', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.