adjective/pʁe.a.labl/
previous, prior; preliminary
“Tout dessinateur s'imagine pouvoir, sans étude préalable, d'instinct, créer des oeuvres ornementales parfaites de conception.” — Every draftsman imagines he can—instinctively and without prior study—create ornamental works that are perfect in design.
From Middle French preallable, from Old French prealler (“to precede”).