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pre·si·di·o

(prĭ-sēdē-ō′, -sĭdē-ō′)

n. pl. pre·si·di·os

A garrison, especially a fortress of the kind established in the southwest United States by the Spanish to protect their holdings and missions.

[Spanish, from Latin praesidium, guard, defense, from praesidēre, to guard; see PRESIDE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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