preliminary
pronunciation
How to pronounce preliminary in British English:
UK [prɪˈlɪmɪnəri]
How to pronounce preliminary in American English:
US [prɪˈlɪmɪneri]
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- Noun:
- a minor match preceding the main event
- something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
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- Adjective:
- designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding
Word Origin
- preliminary (adj.)
- 1660s, from French préliminaire and directly from Medieval Latin praeliminaris, from Latin prae- "before" (see pre-) + limen (genitive liminis) "threshold" (see limit (n.)). A word that arose in reference to negotiations to end the Thirty Years' War. Earliest attested form in English is preliminaries (n.), 1650s.