Dictionary
pre•ex•ist
Pronunciation: (prē"ig-zist'), [key]—
v.i.
1. to exist beforehand.
2. to exist in a previous state.
—
v.t.
to exist prior to (something or someone else); precede:
primitive artifacts that preexisted sophisticated tools. Also,pre"-ex•ist'.Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.