predestination
UK[ˌpriːdestɪˈneɪʃn]US[priːˌdestəˈneɪʃn]
n
(especially in Christian theology) the doctrine that God has ordained all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some souls and not others.
n
the belief that everything that happens has been decided or planned in advance by God or by fate.
Morpheme Breakdown
pre
destin
ation
pre
before
destin
destiny
ation
noun suffix
Etymology
The word predestination is a layered theological term built entirely from Latin components. Its core, 'destinare', originally meant to make something firm or to fasten it down, conveying a sense of fixedness and determination. The prefix 'pre-' intensifies this by placing the act of determining firmly in a time before the event itself occurs. The suffix '-ation' nominalizes the entire concept into the state or doctrine of having been decided beforehand. Thus, the literal "fixing firmly in advance" evolved from a general Latin sense to the specific Christian doctrine concerning God's eternal decree for creation and salvation.
Analysis
Structure: pre (before) + destin (destiny) + ation (noun suffix)
- pre: from Latin 'prae', meaning "before". A prefix indicating prior time, place, order, or importance.
- destin: from Latin 'destinare', meaning "to make firm, establish, determine". This root is a direct substring of the modern English word "destiny".
- ation: from Latin '-ationem', a suffix forming nouns of action or state.
Examples
The debate over free will versus predestination has been a central theme in Christian theology for centuries.
He felt a strange sense of predestination, as if every step of his journey had been mapped out long ago.
Calvin's teachings are often associated with the concept of double predestination.