Precharge
Beginner
Filling a memory’s wires with charge to a set starting level before each read, like zeroing a kitchen scale.
Novice
Charging the bit lines to a fixed voltage before an access. SRAM precharges both lines to the supply; DRAM precharges to half the supply. The read then looks at how the line moves away from that level.
Expert
Also equalizes the two lines of a differential pair so the sense amplifier sees only the cell’s signal. In DRAM, the time to restore after a row closes is the tRP timing parameter.