Preliminary

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: prÄ­lĭʹmÄ­nÉ™ri, IPA: /pɹᵻˈlɪmáµ»nəɹi/

Alternative forms

• præliminary archaic

Origin

From the French préliminaire or from the Modern Latin prælīmināris, formed from præ ("before") + līmen, līmin- ("threshold") + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare the Latin līmināris ("of or belonging to a threshold").

Full definition of preliminary

Adjective

1. in preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatoryThese are just the preliminary results.
• Orwell Animal Farm|1And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.

Antonyms

• definitive, final

Derived terms

• preliminarily
• preliminary results
• preliminary considerations

Noun

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