Definition

1. Noun:

   • A condition that must be fulfilled before other things can happen or be done; a prerequisite. It is something required as a prior condition for a subsequent event or action.
   • An assumption that is taken for granted; a preliminary belief or fact upon which further reasoning or action depends.

2. Verb:

   • To put (someone or something) into the required condition beforehand; to prepare or condition in advance.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • A good credit score is often a precondition for obtaining a mortgage.
  • The ceasefire was a precondition for the peace talks to begin.
  • His argument was based on the precondition that all people are inherently rational.

• Verb:

  • The software preconditions the data before running the complex analysis.
  • Athletes carefully precondition their muscles before intense training to prevent injury.

Advanced Usage

• "To be a precondition for/of something": To be an essential prior condition.

  • Trust is a fundamental precondition for a successful partnership.

• "To meet/satisfy/fulfill the preconditions": To satisfy the necessary prior requirements.

  • The applicant failed to meet the preconditions for entry into the program.

Variants and Related Words

• Preconditioning (n): The action or process of preparing or conditioning something in advance.

  • The preconditioning of the material ensures it can withstand high temperatures.

• Preconditional (adj): Of the nature of or relating to a precondition. (Less common)

Synonyms

• Noun: Prerequisite, requirement, condition, stipulation, presumption, assumption.
• Verb: Prepare, prime, ready, treat in advance.

Related Phrases

• "As a precondition": Used to introduce a necessary prior condition.
  • The contract was signed, as a precondition, upon receipt of the initial payment.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The noun form typically refers to a concrete requirement or a foundational assumption.
• The verb form is less common and is often used in technical, scientific, or formal contexts to describe a preparatory process.

Noun

1. a condition that is a prerequisite
2. an assumption that is taken for granted
3. an assumption on which rests the validity or effect of something else

Verb

1. put into the required condition beforehand