exordium

[ig-zawr-dee-uh m, ik-sawr-]

See more synonyms for exordium on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ex·or·di·ums, ex·or·di·a

[ig-zawr-dee-uh, ik-sawr-] /ɪgˈzɔr di ə, ɪkˈsɔr-/.

the beginning of anything.
the introductory part of an oration, treatise, etc.

Origin of exordium

1525–35; < Latin exōrdium, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + ōrd(īrī) to begin + -ium -ium

Related formsex·or·di·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for exordium

debut, installation, opening, addition, presentation, inauguration, launch, initiation, preface, establishment, influx, signal, proposition, suggestion, invitation, proposal, bid, preamble, foreword, prologue

Examples from the Web for exordium

Historical Examples of exordium

Every Speyside man will recognise from this exordium that I am about to treat of "Geordie."
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
Every one present laughed at the exordium (and there the matter dropped).
The Memorabilia
Xenophon
Fuller looked a little scared at this exordium, but Rachel did not notice him.
Aunt Rachel
David Christie Murray
Similarly, in the case of speeches, the exordium is prior in order to the narrative.
The Categories
Aristotle
Your exordium was so singularly clear, that I did not understand you before.
The Black Baronet; or, The Chronicles Of Ballytrain
William Carleton

British Dictionary definitions for exordium

exordium

noun plural -diums or -dia (-dɪə)

an introductory part or beginning, esp of an oration or discourse

Derived Formsexordial, adjective

Word Origin for exordium

C16: from Latin, from exōrdīrī to begin, from ōrdīrī to begin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012