prepped

Prepped is the past participle of the verb prep and an adjective meaning prepared or prepared in advance. The term is widely used in everyday English as well as in specialized fields to indicate that something has been prepared, treated, or arranged ahead of time. Prep is an informal abbreviation of prepare, with the past tense formed regularly as prepped.

In medical contexts, prepped commonly describes a patient or a site that has been prepared with antiseptic or other treatment before a procedure. In culinary and food service settings, ingredients are prepped when they are washed, trimmed, chopped, or portioned prior to cooking. In construction and manufacturing, a surface, site, or component may be prepped to receive subsequent work, coating, or assembly. In education and testing, students or materials may be described as prepped for an exam, meaning they have studied or organized themselves for readiness. In the broader culture of disaster preparedness or survivalism, a person who has stockpiled supplies and plans is said to be prepped for emergencies.

Etymology traces to prep, an abbreviation of prepare, with prepped formed by adding -ed. The usage is common in informal or conversational registers; in formal writing, prepared is typically preferred.

See also: prep, preparation, preparatory, prepared.

Examples: The crew prepped the field before the game. The nurse prepped the patient for surgery. The kitchen staff prepped vegetables for service.