preliminary
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L227911 on Wikidata ↗noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L325857 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/ / /pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/ / /pɹiˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/
adj
Etymology: Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare Latin līmināris (“of or belonging to a threshold”). Compare French préliminaire.
- In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.
“These are just the preliminary results.”
“And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.”
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare Latin līmināris (“of or belonging to a threshold”). Compare French préliminaire.
- A preparation for a main matter; an introduction.
“In the Chinese novels, often of a very literary character, devoted to masculine love, it seems that all the preliminaries and transports of normal love are to be found, while physical union may terminate the scene.”
- Any of a series of sports events that determine the finalists.
- A relatively minor contest that precedes a major one, especially in boxing.