pretreatment

1 of 2

noun

pre·​treat·​ment ˌprē-ˈtrēt-mənt 

variants or pre-treatment

plural pretreatments or pre-treatments

: an act or instance of treating someone or something in advance : preliminary or preparatory treatment

pretreatment of stains

pretreatment of a surface for painting

… pretreatment is often required to remove oil and grease from the waste water.

—John H. Sheridan

… will allow public works crews to apply salt brine to pre-treat city streets before snow events. The pre-treatment creates an additional layer that helps to melt snow …

—Kevin Thompkins

A drug called atropine can reverse the effects if administered promptly, and pretreatment with pyridostigmine can help shield the body …

—Adam Rogers

also : a substance used for such treatment

Oils give great shine, but I also use them as a pretreatment to prevent damage prior to coloring my natural hair.

—Deena Campbell

pretreatment

2 of 2

adjective

variants or pre-treatment

1

: existing or occurring before treatment

the pretreatment period

a pretreatment condition

the patient's pretreatment drug regimen

When treatment was discontinued, the condition of treated nasal muscles quickly returned to pretreatment levels.

—Michael Vaiman et al.

2

: of, relating to, or being a pretreatment

a waste pretreatment facility/system

The current chemical pretreatment process uses relatively harsh conditions to break down the tough structure of grass and other biomass.

—Phys.org

In my weekly Ask a Clean Person columns, I talk a lot about laundry boosters and stain pretreatment products …

—Jolie Kerr

Examples of pretreatment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Air Force pointed to a $25 million federal grant from the state to build a new PFAS pretreatment plant for the TARP. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024

The pretreatment chemotherapy also carries a risk of infertility. —Byjennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 14 Nov. 2024

The special pretreatment is applied in the first box of the dyeing machine which takes place on the dry denim yarn, Umberto De Vita, market segment director-denim, Archroma Textile Effects, told Rivet. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 19 Sep. 2024

The 9 Best Laundry Stain Removers, Tested and Reviewed Wash in Cold Water After applying a stain pretreatment, launder the bag in cold water using the gentle cycle. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

pretreatment

1 of 2 noun

pre·​treat·​ment -mənt 

: preliminary or preparatory treatment

unsuccessful … in preventing tumor growth by pretreatment with vitamin A in mice

—E. L. Felix et al.

pretreatment

2 of 2 adjective

: occurring in or typical of the period prior to treatment

a patient's pretreatment blood pressure