prepare

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To make ready beforehand for a specific purpose, as for an event or occasion: The teacher prepared the students for the exams.
2. v. To put together or make by combining various elements or ingredients; manufacture or compound: prepared a meal; prepared the lecture.
3. v. To fit out; equip: prepared the ship for an arctic expedition.
4. v. Music To lead up to and soften (a dissonance or its impact) by means of preparation.
5. v. To make things or oneself ready.
6. v. To study or complete a course of study at a preparatory school.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To set in order or readiness for a particular end; make ready; provide; adapt by alteration or arrangement.
2. To bring into a particular mental state with reference to the future; fit by notification or instruction for any definite action or direction of thought: as, to prepare a person for bad news; to prepare a boy for college.
3. To equip; fit out; provide with necessary means.
4. To provide or procure for future use; hence, to make; form; compound; manufacture.
5. In music: To lead up to by causing a dissonance to appear first as a consonance: as, the discord was carefully prepared. See preparation, 9.
6. To lead into (a tone or embellishment) by an appoggiatura or other prefatory tone or tones.
7. To make everything ready; put things in order beforehand.
8. To make one's self ready; equip one's self mentally or materially for future action.
9. n. Preparation.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To make ready for a specific future purpose; to set up; to assemble.
2. v. transitive To make ready for eating or drinking; to cook.
3. v. intransitive To make oneself ready; to get ready, make preparation.
4. v. transitive To produce or make by combining elements; to synthesize, compound.
5. n. obsolete preparation

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose or condition; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application
2. v. To procure as suitable or necessary; to get ready; to provide
3. v. To make all things ready; to put things in order.
4. v. To make one's self ready; to get ready; to take the necessary previous measures.
5. n. obsolete Preparation.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. educate for a future role or function
2. v. lead up to and soften by sounding the dissonant note in it as a consonant note in the preceding chord
3. v. prepare for eating by applying heat
4. v. arrange by systematic planning and united effort
5. v. undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession
6. v. create by training and teaching
7. v. to prepare verbally, either for written or spoken delivery
8. v. make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc