adj · noun · verb · 6 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.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:/ˈpɹiːskuːl/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R IY0 S K UW1 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:P R IY1 S K UW2 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or relating to the years of early childhood before attendance at primary school.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A nursery school.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A school including nursery and kindergarten. It is succeeded by elementary school.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Philippines
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To provide nursery school education for.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To undergo nursery school education.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
an educational institution for children too young for elementary school
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: educational institution
Narrower terms: kindergarten, nursery school, playschool, play group
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 school English preschool From pre- + school.
Across languages
Translations
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
նախադպրոցական
(naxadprocʻakan)
— relating to years before primary school
Azerbaijani:
məktəbəqədər
— relating to years before primary school
Belarusian:
дашко́льны
(daškólʹny)
— relating to years before primary school
Bulgarian:
предучилищен
(predučilišten)
— relating to years before primary school
Burmese:
မူကြို
(mu-krui)
— relating to years before primary school
Burmese:
မူလတန်းကြို
(mula.tan:krui)
— relating to years before primary school
Catalan:
preescolar
— relating to years before primary school
Czech:
předškolní
— relating to years before primary school
Finnish:
koulua edeltävä
— relating to years before primary school
French:
préscolaire
— relating to years before primary school
German:
vorschulisch
— relating to years before primary school
Greek:
προσχολικός
(proscholikós)
— relating to years before primary school
Indonesian:
prasekolah
— relating to years before primary school
Italian:
prescolare
— relating to years before primary school
Macedonian:
пре́дшколски
(prédškolski)
— relating to years before primary school
Polish:
przedszkolny
— relating to years before primary school
Portuguese:
pré-escolar
— relating to years before primary school
Romanian:
preșcolar
— relating to years before primary school
Romanian:
preșcolară
— relating to years before primary school
Russian:
дошко́льный
(doškólʹnyj)
— relating to years before primary school
Slovak:
predškolský
— relating to years before primary school
Spanish:
preescolar
— relating to years before primary school
Swedish:
förskola
— relating to years before primary school
Tajik:
томактабӣ
(tomaktabi)
— relating to years before primary school
Turkish:
okul öncesi
— relating to years before primary school
Ukrainian:
дошкі́льний
(doškílʹnyj)
— relating to years before primary school