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preliminary.

In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.

11 characters5 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/General-American/pɹiˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/General-American
  1. In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.

    not-comparable
    These are just the preliminary results.
Where this word comes from

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.

noun/pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/General-American/pɹiˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/General-American
  1. A preparation for a main matter; an introduction.

  2. Any of a series of sports events that determine the finalists.

  3. A relatively minor contest that precedes a major one, especially in boxing.

Where this word comes from

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.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.