introduction

[ in-truh-duhk-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of introducing or the state of being introduced.
2. a formal personal presentation of one person to another or others.
3. a preliminary part, as of a book, musical composition, or the like, leading up to the main part.
4. an elementary treatise:

   an introduction to botany.

5. an act or instance of inserting.
6. something introduced.

introduction

/ ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act of introducing or fact of being introduced
2. a presentation of one person to another or others
3. a means of presenting a person to another person, group, etc, such as a letter of introduction or reference
4. a preliminary part, as of a book, speech, etc
5. music
   1. an instrumental passage preceding the entry of a soloist, choir, etc
   2. an opening passage in a movement or composition that precedes the main material
6. something that has been or is introduced, esp something that is not native to an area, country, etc
7. a basic or elementary work of instruction, reference, etc
8. logic (qualified by the name of an operation) a syntactic rule specifying the conditions under which a formula or statement containing the specified operator may be derived from others

   negation-introduction

   conjunction-introduction

Other Words From

• rein·tro·duction noun
• self-intro·duction noun
• subin·tro·duction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of introduction¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English introduccion, from Latin intrōductiōn- (stem of intrōductiō ). See introduce, -tion

Synonym Study

Introduction, foreword, preface refer to material given at the front of a book to explain or introduce it to the reader. A foreword is part of the front matter and is usually written by someone other than the author, often an authority on the subject of the book. A preface is the author's own statement, and often includes acknowledgments. It follows the foreword (if there is one) and is also part of the front matter. The introduction is always by the author. It may be extensive and is usually printed as part of the text.

Example Sentences

Finding the shop is a trip in itself and an introduction to a slice of history.

From The Daily Beast

On company questionnaires, many students still report the book as their introduction to RSD.

From The Daily Beast

Granted, partly this is a problem of sources the author identifies in the introduction.

From The Daily Beast

For a shorter introduction to Richardson, read Journey to Paradise: Short Stories and Autobiographical Sketches.

From The Daily Beast

Existing food shortages in the country were immediately exacerbated by the introduction of Ebola, for a variety of reasons.

From The Daily Beast

It would appear then that the year 1559 was about the period of the introduction of tobacco into Europe.

From Project Gutenberg

Its use by so distinguished a person as Raleigh was equivalent to its general introduction.

From Project Gutenberg

Labor, so it was argued, was perpetually being saved by the constant introduction of new uses of machinery.

From Project Gutenberg

“Reggie has spoken of you many times, monsieur,” said Fleurette, after the introduction had been effected.

From Project Gutenberg

Thanks to Massna's warm introduction and his own reputation, he found himself cordially received by the First Consul.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• addition
• debut
• establishment
• inauguration
• influx
• initiation
• installation
• launch
• opening
• preface
• presentation