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exordium

 - 3 dictionary results

ex⋅or⋅di⋅um

  [ig-zawr-dee-uhm, ik-sawr-]
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–noun, plural -di⋅ums, -di⋅a  [-dee-uh] .
1. the beginning of anything.
2. the introductory part of an oration, treatise, etc.
Origin:
1525–35; < L exōrdium, equiv. to ex- ex- 1 + ōrd(īrī) to begin + -ium -ium

Related forms:
ex⋅or⋅di⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ex·or·di·um   (ĭg-zôr'dē-əm, ĭk-sôr'-)   
n.   pl. ex·or·di·ums or ex·or·di·a (-dē-ə)
A beginning or introductory part, especially of a speech or treatise.

[Latin, from exōrdīrī, to begin : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + ōrdīrī, to begin; see ar- in Indo-European roots.]
ex·or'di·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

exordium

in literature, the beginning or introduction, especially the introductory part of a discourse or composition. The term originally referred specifically to one of the traditional divisions of a speech established by classical rhetoricians.

Learn more about exordium with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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