noun
A deep, often sentimental longing or anticipation for something that has yet to happen, as if one is nostalgic for a future event. It describes a paradoxical emotion where one feels a sense of familiarity or longing for something that is yet to be experienced.
Etymology:
A blend of “pre,” meaning before or prior, and “nostalgia,” from Greek nostos (return home) and algos (pain), which refers to a longing for the past. The word plays with the concept of nostalgia projected toward the future.
Example Sentence:
As she prepared for her big move, she felt a strange sense of praestalgia, already missing the life she hadn’t yet begun.
Notes:
Note: 'prestalgia' is a common alternate spelling