prologue

or pro·log

[ proh-lawg, -log ]

noun

1. a preliminary discourse; a preface or introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel. Compare epilogue ( def 1 ).
2. an introductory speech, often in verse, calling attention to the theme of a play. Compare epilogue ( def 3 ).
3. the actor or actress who delivers the introductory speech that calls attention to the theme of a play. Compare epilogue ( def 4 ).
4. an introductory scene, preceding the first act of a play, opera, etc.
5. any introductory proceeding, event, etc.:

   Appetizing delicacies were the prologue to a long dinner.

   Synonyms: prelude, opening, beginning, preamble

verb (used with object)

, pro·logued, pro·logu·ing.

1. to introduce with or as if with a prologue.

prologue

/ ˈprəʊlɒɡ /

noun

1. 1. the prefatory lines introducing a play or speech
   2. the actor speaking these lines
2. a preliminary act or event
3. in early opera
   1. an introductory scene in which a narrator summarizes the main action of the work
   2. a brief independent play preceding the opera, esp one in honour of a patron

verb

1. tr to introduce or preface with or as if with a prologue

Other Words From

• pro·logu·ist pro·log·ist noun
• pro·logue·like pro·log·like adjective
• un·pro·logued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prologue¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English prolog(e), prologue, from Old French prologue and Latin prologus, from Greek prólogos; pro- ², -logue

Word History and Origins

Origin of prologue¹

C13: from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos, from pro- ² + logos discourse

Example Sentences

As he explains in the prologue to “A Zoo in My Luggage,” “To me extirpation of an animal species is a criminal offence, just as the destruction of something else that we cannot recreate or replace, such as a Rembrandt or the Acropolis, would be.”

From Washington Post

With a paranoid urgency, Prokopios writes in the prologue that he wants to come clean and tell us what actually happened.

From Time

So the movie started with the prologue of the son telling the story of what happened to dad.

From Ozy

I’ve yet to spend a lot of time with the latest version of that device, but if past is any prologue, it’s a solid choice for those looking for an Android-compatible Apple alternative at a good price.

From TechCrunch

The problems associated with getting people to wear masks, which is a much simpler solution than visiting a health care professional and receiving a shot, is prologue to what we’ll see when it comes to getting people vaccinated, he explained.

From Fortune

Here is a title that, in its prologue, tasks players with fighting a horde of angels on top of a moving jet.

From The Daily Beast

“The past is prologue,” says a Democratic House leadership aide.

From The Daily Beast

It also features a scene that is shockingly reminiscent of the prologue in The Dark Knight Rises.

From The Daily Beast

These moves are positive, but if past is prologue, any real change could take years to enact.

From The Daily Beast

But in a nation that has existed for more than 5,000 years, the past is more than a prologue.

From The Daily Beast

Trewely is here three syllables, which is the normal form; cf. Prologue, 761; Kn.

From Project Gutenberg

Both in the present passage and in the Pardoner's Prologue the verb to erme is used with the same sb., viz.

From Project Gutenberg

And this was as it should be; the intent of that little prologue was merely to whet the appetite for the real play.

From Project Gutenberg

Used ludicrously to mean a feat of horsemanship in l. 50 of the Manciple's Prologue.

From Project Gutenberg

The dropped word is clearly here, which rimes with manere in the Miller's Prologue, and elsewhere.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• foreword
• prelude