[pree-ig-zist] 
| 1. | to exist beforehand. |
| 2. | to exist in a previous state. |
| 3. | to exist prior to (something or someone else); precede: primitive artifacts that preexisted sophisticated tools. |
| pre·ex·ist or pre-ex·ist (prē'ĭg-zĭst') v. pre·ex·ist·ed or pre-ex·ist·ed, pre·ex·ist·ing or pre-ex·ist·ing, pre·ex·ists or pre-ex·ists v. tr. To exist before (something); precede: Dinosaurs preexisted humans. v. intr. To exist beforehand. pre'ex·is'tence n., pre'ex·is'tent adj. |
ɪgˈzɪst