Preemption

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /priːˈɛmpʃən/

Definitions

1. The act of gaining priority over others in a situation; the legal right to purchase or claim something before others can do so
2. Taking precedence in action or decision-making; a preferential right that allows one to buy or claim property ahead of competitors
3. The exercise of priority to act first or prevent others from acting; a pre-existing right to obtain or acquire something before others are allowed

Etymology: The word carries a trace of an ancient marketplace. In Roman law, "praeemptio" meant buying something before others could, and the Latin verb "praeemere" combined "prae-" ("before") with "emere" ("to buy"). Medieval Latin kept the legal sense, using the noun for a previous purchase, and the idea of getting first pick is still at the heart of English usage. The English noun follows the same logic: it names a prior right to acquire something ahead of other people. Its modern sense of acting first to prevent others from acting has grown out of that original commercial core, so a word that once described a shopper's head start now covers any claim that comes before everyone else's.

Synonyms: intervention, supersession, prevention