Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

preterm

/pɹˈitɚm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.75 in modern English

Syllables
preterm
IPA
/pɹˈitɚm/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of a premature birth or baby.

noun

A premature birth or baby.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English term English preterm From pre- + term.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Questions

How do you pronounce preterm?
The recorded pronunciation is /pɹˈitɚm/.
What does preterm mean?
Of a premature birth or baby.
Where does preterm come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English term English preterm From pre- + term.

How to pronounce preterm

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “preterm”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹˈitɚm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “preterm”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “preterm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.