preliminary

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/ UK /pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #8428

Meanings

1

adj
Coming before the main part, in preparation for what follows.

These are just the preliminary results of the study.
2

noun
Something done first as preparation for a more important event.

Training is a necessary preliminary to employment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · coming before the main... initial introductory preparatory

2 noun · something done first as... overture prelude

Word family

Forms preliminaries

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

preliminary prospectus
an early prospectus whose contents may change before the final version

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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.

préliminaire French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# preliminary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/
**IPA (UK):** /pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 8428

## Meanings
1. Coming before the main part, in preparation for what follows.
2. Something done first as preparation for a more important event.

## Examples
- These are just the preliminary results of the study.
- Training is a necessary preliminary to employment.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: préliminaire

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Preliminary was 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. In present-day English it covers coming before the main part, in preparation for what follows and something done first as preparation for a more important event.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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