Trivia Time

Introduction comes from Latin roots meaning what?

Test Your Knowledge

introduction

American  

[in-truh-duhk-shuhn] / ˌɪn trəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

• introductions
  plural

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 British  

/ 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

   conjunction-introduction

   negation-introduction

---

Usage

What is an introduction? The introduction is the first section of an essay. It presents, or introduces, the essay topic and includes a thesis statement. Students are usually taught to write an essay in three parts, with the first part being the introduction, followed by the body and ending with a conclusion. The introduction is often considered to be the most important part of the essay because it summarizes the essay’s topic and introduces the thesis statement. The thesis statement presents the specific argument the essay will make or the main point the reader should take away. Outside of essays, introductions are also used in articles, opinion pieces, blog posts, research papers, and other types of writing to entice someone into reading the whole piece.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reintroduction
  noun
• self-introduction
  noun
• subintroduction
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• introductions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of introduction

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

Explanation

An introduction refers to a beginning — maybe presenting someone new to a group, or inserting a new idea into a project. In a piece of writing, the introduction makes clear to the reader the text's purpose. The noun introduction comes from the Latin verb introducere, meaning "to lead in." This “leading in” might be the formal introduction of a speaker, or the speaker's own introduction to his remarks. Or it might be the insertion of a new and different idea, as in British politician Lord Hailsham's remark, "The introduction of religious passion into politics is the end of honest politics, and the introduction of politics into religion is the prostitution of true religion."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

introduction introductions

A government spokesperson said the introduction of a single levy would make life easier for developers.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

With the introduction of the iPod music player in 2001, Apple had a product that made even Windows users curious enough to wander into an Apple store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The introduction sits right between poetic and blunt, and this same small, temporal crevice is where the Holbrooke sisters spend their time.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nearly a century after Bela Lugosi first swept it around his shoulders, Dracula’s cape doesn’t need much introduction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Then I skimmed the introduction, which was written by some lawyer guy.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

I swaddled it in paper and successfully completed my introductions with a non-moist handshake.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

He said emerging from the tunnel and smoke during introductions felt “surreal,” and his coach would agree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

“We’re not expecting any introductions to government customers,” Bains said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

So he paid up and the introductions began.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

When the Fox party finally found the correct front door, a servant ushered them in and led them to the parlor where introductions were made.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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