pre·fig·ure [ pree fíggyər ](past and past participlepre·fig·ured, present participlepre·fig·ur·ing, 3rd person present singularpre·fig·ures)
transitive verb
Definition:
1. indicate future existence of something: to represent, often in form or likeness, a person, thing, or event that is to come designs that prefigured modern architecture
2. think about beforehand: to think about or imagine a person, thing, or event in advance
[15th century. < ecclesiastical Latin praefigurare "depict beforehand" < Latin figura "figure"]