Precondition (noun)

1. A condition or requirement that must be met before something else can happen or be done.
2. A necessary condition or requirement that must be met in order for something to be effective or successful.

Origin:

The word precondition comes from the latin word praeconditionem, meaning "to condition in advance" and it has been in use since the 16th century.

Examples:

1. The contract has a precondition that the payment must be made in advance.
2. The precondition for the meeting is that all participants have read the agenda.
3. The success of the project depends on meeting certain preconditions.
4. The precondition for the loan was a good credit score.
5. The precondition for the experiment was that the temperature must be controlled.