precondition

UK: /ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃ^ən/ US: /ˌprikənˈdɪʃən/ ,(prē′kən dish′ən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•con•di•tion /ˌprikənˈdɪʃən/   n. [countable]

1. something necessary for a result;
   a condition:
   Increased sales were a precondition for her promotion.

v. [~ + object]

2. to put a special preparation on (a surface) before a subsequent process, etc.:
   to precondition a surface to receive paint.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•con•di•tion  (prē′kən dish′ən), n. 

1. something that must come before or is necessary to a subsequent result;
   condition:
   a precondition for a promotion.

v.t. 

2. to subject (a person or thing) to a special treatment in preparation for a subsequent experience, process, test, etc.:
   to precondition a surface to receive paint.

• pre- + condition 1910–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

precondition / ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃən/ noun

1. a necessary or required condition; prerequisite

verb

1. (transitive) to present successively two stimuli to (an organism) without reinforcement so that they become associated; if a response is then conditioned to the second stimulus on its own, the same response will be evoked by the first stimulus