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preliminary definition

pre·limi·nary (prē lim′ə ner′ē, pri-)

adjective

coming before or leading up to the main action, discussion, business, etc.; introductory; prefatory; preparatory

Etymology: < Fr préliminaire or ModL praeliminaris < L prae- (see pre-) + L liminaris, of a threshold < limen, threshold (see limen)

noun pl. preliminaries -·nar′·ies

  1. a preliminary step, procedure, etc.
    1. a preliminary examination
    2. a contest or match before the main one

Etymology: Fr préliminaires, pl.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

preliminary Synonyms

preliminary

modif.

preparatory, preceding, prefatory; see introductory 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

preliminary Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • finding: The impact of firearm control legislation in Queensland: preliminary findings.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: We intend to start as soon as possible, and some very preliminary work has already begun in London.

Used with adjective complement

  • regard: We shall therefore confine ourselves to what, in the main, may be regarded as preliminary.
preliminary usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"preliminary." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/preliminary>

APA Style

preliminary. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/preliminary

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