Pretreated

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Given a preliminary treatment or processing step before being used or put through a later stage
2. Having undergone an initial chemical, physical or medical treatment in advance of a main procedure
3. Prepared in advance by applying a treatment such as a coating, solution or therapy before further use

Etymology: "Pretreated" is the past tense and past participle of "pretreat", a verb formed in English from the prefix "pre-" and the verb "treat". The prefix comes from Latin "prae", meaning "before", and reached English through Middle English, while "treat" has its own longer history in French and Latin. Put together, the word describes subjecting something to a process before its main use, such as a metal surface prepared before painting or a fabric softened before washing. As an adjective, "pretreated" carries the same sense, describing material that has already been given that preparatory treatment. The construction is transparent: each part of the word keeps its ordinary meaning, so no special coinage or technical invention lies behind it.

Synonyms: preprocessed, prepared, conditioned, primed, treated beforehand

Antonyms: untreated, raw, unprocessed