preacquaintance

[Pref. pre-, and Eng. acquaintance (q. v.).] Previous acquaintance; knowledge beforehand. pre-ac-tion, s. [Pref. pre-, and English action (q. v.).] Previous action. "Polarily determined by its pre action ."-Browne: Vulgar Errors , bk. ii., ch. ii. *pread, v . i . [Latin præda =prey; prædor = to rob.] To act as a robber; to rob. pre-a-dăm-Ic, adj. [Pref. pre-, and English Adamic.] Previous to Adam; preadamite. pre-ad-am-ite, a. & s. [Pref. pre-, and English IMG:content-1440.png:[blocks in formation] 2. One who holds that there were persons inhabiting this world before the time of Adam. pre-ad-a-mit-ic, *pre-ad-a-mit-ic-al, adj. [Pref. pre-, and Eng. Adamitic.] Existing prior to Adam; preadamite. "The first author of the Pre adam i tic system is said to have been Giordano Bruno."- Addis & Arnold: Cath. Dict ., p. 682. pre-ad-a-mit-ism, *præ-ad-a-mit-ism, subst. [Eng. pre adam it ( e ); -ism.] Church Hist.: The teaching of Isaac de la Peyrère (1592-1676), a French Calvanist, who a erted that Paul had revealed to him that Adam was not the first man created. Peyrère published a treatise in 1655, based on Romans v. 12-14, but it was publicly burnt, and he was imprisoned at Bru els. His views, however, were espoused by many people. (See extract.) "The abjured Calvin ism and Præadamitism before Pope Alexander VII." - McClintock & Strong : Cyclop . Bib. Lit. , viii. 50.