Definition of "preform" [pre•form]

• To shape or form beforehand. (verb-transitive)
• To determine the shape or form of beforehand. (verb-transitive)
• An object that has been subjected to preliminary, usually incomplete shaping or molding before undergoing complete or final processing. (noun)
• Linguistics A reconstructed ancestral word or form. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I've tried out and that's harder to do than just "preform" u know?"
• "Ordinary optical fibers are made from a "preform," a large cylinder of a single material that is heated up, drawn out, and then cooled."
• "- I am grateful these give me the opportunity to 'preform'."