Preorder

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To place an order for a product now so that it is delivered once it becomes available for sale
2. Reserving a item in advance by ordering it before the date it is officially released to the public
3. Buying or requesting goods ahead of their launch so they are supplied as soon as they go on sale

Etymology: "Preorder" is a plain modern compound: the prefix "pre-", meaning "before" (from Latin "prae", "before, in front of"), attached to "order." The source shows "pre-" arriving in English through Middle English, while "order" came by a longer route: from Latin "ordinem" (a row or arrangement), through Old French "ordne," into Middle English as "ordre," and before that from the Proto-Italic "ordō," a word built on a much older root meaning "to arrange." Put together, "preorder" means ordering something before it is made or released, so the goods are arranged for you in advance. The combination is transparent enough that its meaning can be read straight off its two parts, which is why it needed no special coinage story of its own.

Synonyms: reserve, book, advance order