Was there baptism in the Old Testament? In my Bible I discovered that the word “baptism” is not present in the Old Testament.
Was there a ceremony or practice that represented baptism before John the Baptist?
Baptism was not practiced in the same way in the OT as it is in the NT. There were some other ritual washings in use before the time of Christ, but they had different meanings.

What did exist was circumcision. Most Christians believe in one way or another that the sacrament of baptism took the place of circumcision. How exactly they see that transition happening varies widely by tradition. Some see very close parallels and a continuity between the two, others think one was eradicated and the other inaugurated and that they only bear cursory similarity.