prefigure

verb

pre·​fig·​ure ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər How to pronounce prefigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfi-gə
prefigured; prefiguring; prefigures

transitive verb

1
: to show, suggest, or announce by an antecedent type, image, or likeness
2
: to picture or imagine beforehand
prefigurement
ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər-mənt How to pronounce prefigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfi-gə-
noun

Examples of prefigure in a Sentence

His style of painting prefigured the development of modern art. the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Recent Examples on the Web Here Spinoza prefigures an important active discussion in modern science. The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Particular tactics also migrated from theater to theater; the use of terror from the air by Italian forces in Ethiopia, for instance, prefigured its use by German forces in Spain and Japanese forces in China. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2024 From the mid-16th century onward, collectors combined and categorized many kinds of art and natural objects in these cabinets in ways that reflected their worldviews, knowledge and wealth, prefiguring the development of modern museums. Anne Wallentine, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023 McCarthy was elected speaker on the fifteenth and final vote, prefiguring a tumultuous time in office. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023 Tim, more than any of their records, prefigured the 1990s rock boom that made these guys posthumous legends. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2023 China didn’t simply swoop in and make the disputing parties suddenly get along; the progress made in Beijing hardly prefigures a major shift in the regional dynamic — at least, not yet. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2023 Collegiate women had long been borrowing from male classmates, often to express resistance to dress codes requiring skirts or dresses, a subversion that prefigured the pantsuits of the mature career woman. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, The New Republic, 14 Aug. 2023 Shania Twain, the country-pop star whose career in some ways prefigured Swift’s, caught the Las Vegas stop of the Eras Tour, a 44-plus song production that goes as long as three and a half hours. Ben Sisario, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prefigure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praefigurare, from Latin prae- pre- + figurare to shape, picture, from figura figure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prefigure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prefigure

Cite this Entry

“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefigure. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prefigure

verb
pre·​fig·​ure (ˈ)prē-ˈfig-yər How to pronounce prefigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfig-ər
1
: to show, suggest, or announce by an earlier type, image, or likeness
the first crocus prefigures the arrival of spring
2
: to picture or imagine beforehand
prefigure the outcome of the game
prefiguration
(ˌ)prē-ˌfig-(y)ə-ˈrā-shən
noun
prefigurement
(ˈ)prē-ˈfig-yər-mənt How to pronounce prefigure (audio)
 especially British  -ˈfig-ər-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on prefigure

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