prequel

UK: /ˈpriːkwəl/ US: /ˈprikwəl/ ,(prē′kwəl)

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

pre•quel /ˈprikwəl/   n. [countable]

1. Literature a film, play, or piece of fiction that follows an original already released, but that is set in time before the original:
   The prequel portrays the same characters as the original, but they are at a younger age.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pre•quel  (prē′kwəl), n. 

1. Literature, Show Business a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by portraying the same characters at a younger age.

• pre- + (se)quel 1970–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

prequel / ˈpriːkwəl/ noun

1. a film, novel, or play that portrays events that occurred before the events of an existing work

Etymology: 20th Century: from pre- + (se)quel