Preheats

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To warm an appliance beforehand to ensure efficient cooking results
2. The act of bringing an oven or similar device to a desired temperature prior to placing food inside
3. Raises the temperature of a cooking device before use to ensure it is ready for food preparation

Etymology: "Preheats" is the third-person singular present form of "preheat," a verb meaning to bring an oven or similar device up to the required temperature before food goes in. The verb is simply "pre-" added to "heat," so there is little mystery in its construction. The prefix "pre-" comes from Latin "prae," meaning "before" or "in front of," which passed into English as a productive element used to form words meaning "beforehand." The Latin prefix has a long ancestry that stretches back to Proto-Indo-European, but its job in "preheat" is straightforward: it signals that the heating happens before a later step. "Heat" itself is an older English word, so the new verb combines a very old native root with a classical prefix that English speakers have used freely for centuries.

Synonyms: heats, warms, prepares

Antonyms: cools