preface
Use Preface in a sentence
ɪs noun
1.
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.
2.
an introductory part, as of a speech.
3.
something preliminary or introductory: The meeting was the preface to an alliance.
4.
Ecclesiastical. a prayer of thanksgiving, the introduction to the canon of the Mass, ending with the Sanctus.
verb (used with object)
5.
to provide with or introduce by a preface.
6.
to serve as a preface to.
00:10
Preface
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin prēfātia, for Latin praefātiō a saying beforehand, equivalent to praefāt(us) (past participle of praefārī to say beforehand; see pre-, fate) + -iōn- -ion
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin prēfātia, for Latin praefātiō a saying beforehand, equivalent to praefāt(us) (past participle of praefārī to say beforehand; see pre-, fate) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
pref·ac·er, noun
un·pref·aced, adjective
Antonyms
1. appendix. 2, 3. epilogue.
1. appendix. 2, 3. epilogue.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To preface
Collins
World English Dictionary
preface (ˈprɛfɪs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a statement written as an introduction to a literary or other work, typically explaining its scope, intention, method, etc; foreword |
| 2. | anything introductory |
| 3. | RC Church a prayer of thanksgiving and exhortation serving as an introduction to the canon of the Mass |
| —vb | |
| 4. | to furnish with a preface |
| 5. | to serve as a preface to |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin praefātia, from Latin praefātiō a saying beforehand, from praefārī to utter in advance, from prae before + fārī to say] | |
| 'prefacer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
preface
late 14c., from O.Fr. preface (14c.), from M.L. prefatia, from L. præfatio "fore-speaking, introduction, prologue," from præfatus, pp. of præfari "to say beforehand," from præ- "before" + fari "speak" (see fame). The verb is 1616, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Schocken has just issued a 20th-anniversary hardcover edition with a new preface by the author.
He did not even keep a diary--To do so would have inhibited my work, he comments drily in the preface to his autobiography.
In your preface, you work to dispel the long-accepted view that writing about music is a uniquely difficult task.
The contention in the preface that Washington was the “most ambitious” of the founders seems a stretch.
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