pre ‧ con ‧ di ‧ tion /ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ condition , ↑ precondition , ↑ conditioner , ↑ conditioning ; verb : ↑ condition ; adverb : ↑ conditionally ≠ ↑ unconditionally ; adjective : ↑ conditional ≠ ↑ unconditional ]
something that must happen or exist before something else can happen
precondition of/for
A ceasefire is a precondition for talks.