See preformation in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "preformationary"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "preformationism"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "preformationist"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":af",
"3": "pre-",
"4": "formation",
"text": "+",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *per-\nProto-Indo-European *preh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *-i\nProto-Indo-European *préh₂i?\nProto-Italic *prai\nProto-Italic *prai-\nLatin prae-lbor.\nMiddle English pre-\nEnglish pre-\nEnglish formation\nEnglish preformation\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"before\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*préh₂i\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"before\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*per-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*preh₂-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-i\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*prai\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*prai-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"prae-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"pre-\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"pre-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"formation\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"preformation\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"preformation\">\nFrom pre- + formation.",
"name": "ety"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *per-\nProto-Indo-European *preh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *-i\nProto-Indo-European *préh₂i?\nProto-Italic *prai\nProto-Italic *prai-\nLatin prae-lbor.\nMiddle English pre-\nEnglish pre-\nEnglish formation\nEnglish preformation\nFrom pre- + formation.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "preformations",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "praeformation",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "preformation (countable and uncountable, plural preformations)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"Prior formation."
],
"id": "en-preformation-en-noun-Pr5aK6dH",
"links": [
[
"formation",
"formation"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Biology",
"orig": "en:Biology",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "36 64",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries referencing missing etymons",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "33 67",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with etymology texts",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "33 67",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with etymology trees",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "26 74",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "41 59",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms prefixed with pre-",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "20 80",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "16 84",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "9 91",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 85",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with etymology trees",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
0,
12
]
],
"ref": "1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 174:",
"text": "Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
],
"id": "en-preformation-en-noun-oFQoJwCZ",
"links": [
[
"biology",
"biology"
],
[
"theory",
"theory"
],
[
"organism",
"organism"
],
[
"egg",
"egg"
],
[
"seed",
"seed"
],
[
"epigenesis",
"epigenesis#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(biology, historical) The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"historical",
"uncountable"
],
"topics": [
"biology",
"natural-sciences"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/pɹiːfɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
}
],
"word": "preformation"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries referencing missing etymons",
"English entries with etymology texts",
"English entries with etymology trees",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (before)",
"English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *preh₂-",
"English terms prefixed with pre-",
"English uncountable nouns",
"Pages using etymon with no ID",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Pages with etymology trees"
],
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{
"word": "preformationary"
},
{
"word": "preformationism"
},
{
"word": "preformationist"
}
],
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"args": {
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"2": ":af",
"3": "pre-",
"4": "formation",
"text": "+",
"tree": "1"
},
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"name": "ety"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *per-\nProto-Indo-European *preh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *-i\nProto-Indo-European *préh₂i?\nProto-Italic *prai\nProto-Italic *prai-\nLatin prae-lbor.\nMiddle English pre-\nEnglish pre-\nEnglish formation\nEnglish preformation\nFrom pre- + formation.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "preformations",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "praeformation",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
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"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "preformation (countable and uncountable, plural preformations)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"Prior formation."
],
"links": [
[
"formation",
"formation"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with historical senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Biology"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
0,
12
]
],
"ref": "1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 174:",
"text": "Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
],
"links": [
[
"biology",
"biology"
],
[
"theory",
"theory"
],
[
"organism",
"organism"
],
[
"egg",
"egg"
],
[
"seed",
"seed"
],
[
"epigenesis",
"epigenesis#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(biology, historical) The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"historical",
"uncountable"
],
"topics": [
"biology",
"natural-sciences"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/pɹiːfɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/",
"tags": [
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]
}
],
"word": "preformation"
}
Download raw JSONL data for preformation meaning in English (4.9kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-06-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-06-01 using wiktextract (03da280 and 7f4db16). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.