'prevent' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praevenire', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'venire' meant 'to come'.

'prevent' changed from Old French 'prevenir' (from Latin 'praevenire'), through Middle English forms such as 'prevenen', and eventually became the modern English word 'prevent'.

Initially it meant 'to come before' or 'to anticipate'; over time it evolved into the current sense 'to stop something from happening' or 'to hinder'.