Done or existing in expectation of something that might happen; showing that you expect something to occur.
From Latin 'anticipare' (to take beforehand), from 'ante-' (before) + 'capere' (to take). The word evolved through Old French and entered English in the 16th century with legal and logical meanings.
Your anticipatory anxiety before a test is actually your brain's way of preparing—scientists found that anticipatory thinking helped humans survive by spotting dangers before they arrived.
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