Preventatives

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Strategies or tools employed to hinder the occurrence of undesirable outcomes
2. Actions or provisions intended to mitigate risks and avert future complications
3. Steps or methods used to stop unwanted events before they occur

Etymology: "Preventatives" is simply the plural of "preventative," so it traces back to the same root. The base verb "prevent" comes from the Latin "praevenire," meaning "to come before" or "to anticipate," built from "prae" (before) and "venire" (to come). Originally, to prevent something meant to go ahead of it, arriving first, rather than to stop it outright. That sense of getting in front of an event is still visible in the modern meaning. The ending "-ative" is a common English suffix that turns a verb into an adjective or noun describing something that performs the action, so a "preventative" is a thing that prevents. English formed "preventative" by attaching this suffix to "prevent," and the plural refers to the various measures people take in advance to head off problems.

Synonyms: prophylactics, deterrents