prolegomenon
[ proh-li-gom-uh-non, -nuh n ]
/ ˌproʊ lɪˈgɒm əˌnɒn, -nən /
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.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
prolate, prolately, prolation, prole, proleg, prolegomenon, prolegomenous, prolepsis, proleptic, proles, proletarian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for prolegomenon
The miscellanies really stand to the novels in the relation of a sort of prolegomenon.
Balzac|Frederick LawtonThe 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
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 Formsprolegomenal, 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
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Word Origin and History for prolegomenon
prolegomenon
1650s, "learned preamble to a book," from Greek prolegomenon, noun use of neuter passive present participle of prolegein "to say beforehand," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + legein "to speak" (see lecture (n.)) + suffix -menos (as in alumnus). The same sense is in preface (n.). Related: Prolegomenary; prolegomenous.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper