preacquaint

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From pre- +‎ acquaint.

Verb

preacquaint (third-person singular simple present preacquaints, present participle preacquainting, simple past and past participle preacquainted)

  1. (transitive) To acquaint beforehand.
    • 1633, James Shirley, The Witty Fair One, London: William Cooke, Act I, Scene 1,
      Wor. You haue not made your loue knowne to my Neece yet.
      Aym. No, my intention was to preacquaint you.
    • 1742, Henry Fielding, “What Past between the Lady and Lawyer Scout”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. , volume II, London: A Millar, , →OCLC, book IV, pages 188–189:
      he inadvertently confirmed many Hints, vvith vvhich Slipſlop, vvhoſe Gallant he vvas, had pre-acquainted him;
    • 1878, Alexander Melville Bell, The Principles of Elocution, Salem, Massachusetts: James P. Burbank, Introduction, p. xx:
      Those things which have been previously stated, or which are necessarily implied, or with which we presume our hearers to have been preacquainted, we pronounce with such a subordination of stress as is suitable to the small importance of things already understood
    • 1969, Tibor Agoston, Insight Therapy, State of Ohio Department of Mental Hygiene and Correction, Part 4, Chapter 110, p. 215,
      we may describe differential dynamics as a gallery of disease patterns that may preacquaint the therapist with the picture which is likely to emerge when all the pieces are fitted together.

References