prefatory

American  

[pref-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈprɛf əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

Often prefatorial

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a preface.

   prefatory explanations.

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prefatory British  

/ ˌprɛfəˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈprɛfətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of, involving, or serving as a preface; introductory

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Other Word Forms

• prefatorily adverb

Etymology

Origin of prefatory

1665–75; < Latin praefāt ( iō ) preface + -ory ¹

Explanation

The adjective prefatory describes something that serves as a beginning or introduction. The president of the organization made some prefatory remarks before the main speaker at the event. Prefatory is often used to describe an introduction to a speech, book, or other text. If you are asked to speak on a highly controversial subject, you may want to first offer some prefatory remarks that you are only offering your opinion. But at least half the audience will disagree with whatever you say anyway. Your will may have a prefatory clause explaining why you've left everything to your cat Fluffy and not to your awful siblings.

Example Sentences

But biologists studying everything from yeast to snakes to humans have recently unearthed a plethora of so-called noncanonical ORFs, which lack those prefatory snippets and are shorter than average.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 24, 2024

The Amendment's prefatory clause announces a purpose, but does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative clause.

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2020

A prefatory note: I confess that I didn’t realize that I would have to do some work to prepare these turkeys.

From Slate • Nov. 21, 2018

In a prefatory note, Gottlieb emphasizes that “it’s one’s successes one tends to remember.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 14, 2016

The compass allows you to navigate out of sight of land and, naturally, Edward Wright’s prefatory letter to On the Magnet mentions the circumnavigations of the Earth by English sailors.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton