Preestimate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make an approximate calculation or assessment of the value, amount, or extent of something before it is finalized or fully known; to form an initial judgment or opinion based on preliminary information
2. To provide an early evaluation or rough calculation of costs, quantities, or outcomes prior to detailed analysis or completion; to offer a tentative estimate in advance
3. To judge or calculate an expected figure or result ahead of actual measurement or confirmation; to conduct a preliminary appraisal for planning or decision-making purposes

Etymology: The verb "preestimate" is a transparent formation: the prefix "pre-", meaning before, from Latin "prae," attached to "estimate." The real story lies in "estimate," which comes from Latin "aestimare," to value or appraise. Its original concern was worth, especially price, and only later did it come to mean a rough judgment of size, quantity, or cost. The Latin verb is generally thought to be related to "aes," the word for bronze, which was used as a unit of money in early Rome, so the older sense was reckoning value in coin. English took the word through Old French "estimer," and it kept its broad sense of judging worth. Adding "pre-" to such a verb produces the meaning given here: a tentative figure produced in advance of the detailed work that will confirm or correct it.

Synonyms: forecast, predict, estimate

Antonyms: underestimate, postassess