1630s (n.) "a thing or condition required beforehand," 1650s (adj.), "required beforehand, necessary as a condition of something following;" see pre- "before" + requisite. A verb prerequire "require beforehand" is attested from 1610s.
Entries linking to prerequisite
pre-
word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre-, both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (source also of Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian prie "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura, Old English fore "before"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "beyond, in front of, before."
The Latin word was active in forming verbs. Also see prae-. Sometimes in Middle English muddled with words in pro- or per-.
requisite adj.
"needed, necessary, required by circumstances or the nature of things, so needful that it cannot be dispensed with," mid-15c., from Latin requisitus, past participle of requirere "seek to know, ask, ask for" (see require). As a noun, "that which is necessary, something indispensable," from c. 1600. Related: Requisiteness.