preface
(Of birds)
[noun]
Synonyms:
- introduction, foreword, preamble, preliminary, prelude, prologue
[verb]
Synonyms:
- introduce, begin, open, prefix

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English Thesaurus: introduction, preface, foreword, prologue, preamble, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pref‧ace¹ /ˈprefəs, ˈprefɪs/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: préface, from Latin praefatio, from praefari 'to say before']
an introduction at the beginning of a book or speech

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. preface² verb [transitive]
formal to say or do something before the main part of what you are going to say:
The book is prefaced by a quotation from Faulkner.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

introduction a written or spoken statement at the beginning of a book, speech, or meeting, giving a general idea of what it is about:
After a brief introduction by the chairman, the meeting began.
The author outlines his methods of research in the introduction.
preface a short piece of writing at the beginning of a book that says what the book is about or the reason for writing it:
In the preface, he explains his motives for returning to the subject of Middle Eastern politics.
foreword a short introduction to a book or report, usually written by someone who is not the author:
Greene wrote the foreword to Suzmann’s book.
prologue an introduction to a piece of writing, especially a play or a long poem:
the prologue to Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’
The poem begins with a brief prologue.
preamble a statement at the beginning of something, especially an official document, which explains what it is about:
the Preamble to the US Constitution

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲