Standard Lemma guide

precalculus

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A course, or set of courses, that includes (specifically) trigonometry and algebra at an appropriate level to prepare students to study calculus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: education, mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • 2016, Pam Goodner (lead writer/editor), Eureka Math Precalculus Study Guide, Wiley (Jossey-Bass), page ix, As we wrote the Precalculus course, we wanted to create interest for older high school students by presenting topics in a context, something that students could relate to so that they could see the value in their work.
  • 2017, Sheldon Axler, Precalculus: A Prelude to Calculus, Wiley, 3rd Edition, page xviii, Similarly, many precalculus textbooks consider, for example, a colony of bacteria doubling in size every 3 hours, with the textbook then producing the formula e/3) for the growth factor after t hours.
  • 2023, Mehdi Rahmani-Andebili, Precalculus, Springer, page v, Moreover, in many universities and colleges, a precalculus course is mandatory for under-prepared students as the prerequisite course of Calculus 1.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh2- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh2i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English calculus English precalculus From pre- + calculus.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: pré-calcul — class before calculus
  • German: Elementarmathematik — class before calculus