preface
Americannoun
-
a preliminary statement in a book by the book's author or editor, setting forth its purpose and scope, expressing acknowledgment of assistance from others, etc.
- Antonyms:
- appendix
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an introductory part, as of a speech.
- Antonyms:
- epilogue
-
something preliminary or introductory.
The meeting was the preface to an alliance.
- Antonyms:
- epilogue
-
Ecclesiastical. a prayer of thanksgiving, the introduction to the canon of the Mass, ending with the Sanctus.
verb (used with object)
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to provide with or introduce by a preface.
-
to serve as a preface to.
noun
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a statement written as an introduction to a literary or other work, typically explaining its scope, intention, method, etc; foreword
-
anything introductory
-
RC Church a prayer of thanksgiving and exhortation serving as an introduction to the canon of the Mass
verb
-
to furnish with a preface
-
to serve as a preface to
Related Words
See introduction.
Other Word Forms
- prefacer noun
- unprefaced adjective
Etymology
Origin of preface
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin prēfātia, for Latin praefātiō “a saying beforehand,” equivalent to praefāt(us) (past participle of praefārī “to say beforehand”; pre-, fate ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Answers tend to be prefaced with the word 'we' rather than 'me'.
From BBC
This preface, which harks back to “Richard II” and “Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2” in addition to the three parts of “Henry VI” that immediately precede “Richard III,” crowds an already crowded plot.
From Los Angeles Times
So I would preface with this: There are lots of wonderful things about Europe that go unnoticed, unreported, or taken for granted.
As climate scientist Kevin Trenberth noted in the preface, the collection is designed as an ongoing effort that reflects the evolving nature of climate science.
From Science Daily
In her preface to “Inhabit the Poem,” she writes that the “popular belief that ‘gatekeepers’—publishers, university lecturers, anthologists, and advertisers—create the longevity of the authors we call ‘canonical’ is false.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
