Preassigned

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term that describes entities or responsibilities that have been designated ahead of time
2. A phrase indicating assignments or roles that are predetermined prior to their execution
3. Allocated or set beforehand for a particular purpose or role

Etymology: Before it was a term for roles fixed in advance, "preassigned" was built from parts that had already travelled a long way. The core is "assign," which English borrowed from Old French "assigner" and which goes back to Latin "assignare," "to mark out" or "allot," formed from "ad" ("to") and "signare" ("to mark"), itself rooted in "signum," a sign or seal. So the underlying idea is simply marking something as belonging to a particular person or purpose. The prefix "pre-" comes from Latin "prae," meaning "before" in time or position, and it entered English as a productive element that could be attached to nearly any verb. Joining it to "assigned" gives the sense of something decided ahead of the act itself. The past-participle ending marks the word as an adjective describing things already allotted.

Synonyms: designated, allocated, appointed, arranged, assigned

Antonyms: unassigned, unallocated, free, unselected, rejected