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prolegomenon

[ proh-li-gom-uh-non, -nuhn ]
/ ˌproʊ lɪˈgɒm əˌnɒn, -nən /
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See synonyms for prolegomenon on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural pro·le·gom·e·na [proh-li-gom-uh-nuh]. /ˌproʊ lɪˈgɒm ə nə/.
a preliminary discussion; introductory essay, as prefatory matter in a book; a prologue.
Usually prolegomena. (sometimes used with a singular verb) a treatise serving as a preface or introduction to a book.
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Origin of prolegomenon

1645–55; <New Latin <Greek prolegómenon, neuter of passive present participle of prolégein to say beforehand, equivalent to pro-pro-2 + légein to say (akin to lógoslogos)

Words nearby prolegomenon

prolapsus, prolate, prolation, prole, proleg, prolegomenon, prolegomenous, prolepsis, proleptic, proletarian, proletarianism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to prolegomenon

addition, admittance, awakening, baptism, beginning, commencement, debut, essentials, establishment, exordium, foreword, inauguration, inception, induction, influx, ingress, initiation, insertion, installation, institution

How to use prolegomenon in a sentence

  • The play, one feels, must remain unique, for the prolegomenon cannot be rewritten while the philosophy is unchanged.

    G. K. Chesterton, A Critical Study|Julius West

  • The miscellanies really stand to the novels in the relation of a sort of prolegomenon.

    Balzac|Frederick Lawton

British Dictionary definitions for prolegomenon

prolegomenon
/ (ˌprəʊlɛˈɡɒmɪnən) /
noun plural -na (-nə)
(often plural) a preliminary discussion, esp a formal critical introduction to a lengthy text

Derived forms of prolegomenon

prolegomenal, adjective

Word Origin for prolegomenon

C17: from Greek, from prolegein, from pro- ² + legein to say
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
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