PREBUTTAL

PRONUNCIATION: (pri-BUH-tl)

MEANING: noun: An argument in anticipation of a criticism; a preemptive rebuttal.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of pre- + rebuttal, from rebut (to refute), from Old French rebouter (to push back), from boute (to push). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhau- (to strike), which also gave us refute, beat, button, halibut, and buttress. Earliest documented use: 1996.

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PREPUTTAL - the routine of estimating the slope, testing the wind, kneeling, analyzing the grass, picking out the pebbles, standing up again, lining up the stroke, shushing the crowd, all before poking a piece of gutta-percha into a hole in the ground

PREBUTAL - the new barbiturate headache preventer

PUREBUTTAL - nothing but B------t