prologue

or pro·log

[proh-lawg, -log]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prologue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a preliminary discourse; a preface or introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel.

an introductory speech, often in verse, calling attention to the theme of a play.

the actor or actress who delivers this.

an introductory scene, preceding the first act of a play, opera, etc.

any introductory proceeding, event, etc.: Appetizing delicacies were the prologue to a long dinner.

verb (used with object), pro·logued, pro·logu·ing.

to introduce with or as if with a prologue.

Origin of prologue

1250–1300; Middle English prologe, prologue (< Old French prologue) < Latin prōlogus < Greek prólogos. See pro-², -logue

Related formspro·logu·ist, pro·log·ist, nounpro·logue·like, pro·log·like, adjectiveun·pro·logued, adjective

Synonyms for prologue

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prologue ON THESAURUS.COM

5. preamble; beginning, opening; prelude.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for prologue

prelude, foreword, opening, introduction, beginning, explanation, overture, prolegomenon, preamble, exordium, proem

Examples from the Web for prologue

Contemporary Examples of prologue

Here is a title that, in its prologue, tasks players with fighting a horde of angels on top of a moving jet.
Bayonetta Is Nintendo’s Graphic, Ass-Kicking Barbie
Alec Kubas-Meyer
October 24, 2014
“The past is prologue,” says a Democratic House leadership aide.
Budget Deal on the Horizon?
Eleanor Clift
December 6, 2013
It also features a scene that is shockingly reminiscent of the prologue in The Dark Knight Rises.
‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Review: The Juggernaut Franchise Might Be Drying Up
Alec Kubas-Meyer
November 12, 2013
These moves are positive, but if past is prologue, any real change could take years to enact.
America’s One-Child Policy
Brandy Zadrozny
July 17, 2013
But in a nation that has existed for more than 5,000 years, the past is more than a prologue.
What Egyptians Really Want
Christopher Dickey
July 3, 2013

Historical Examples of prologue

THE preface to a book serves the double purpose of prologue and epilogue.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
He had the past for his prologue, and the future for his epilogue.
The Drama Of Three Hundred & Sixty-Five Days
Hall Caine
A few words of explanation are necessary by way of prologue.
The Story of the Upper Canada Rebellion, Volume 1
John Charles Dent
The Prologue is printed in full by Malone, Variorum, iii, 79.
Shakespearean Playhouses
Joseph Quincy Adams
Here is a scene from it, the first after the Prologue, which would have been spoken by Odysseus.
Helen Redeemed and Other Poems
Maurice Hewlett

British Dictionary definitions for prologue

prologue

often US prolog

noun

the prefatory lines introducing a play or speech
the actor speaking these lines

a preliminary act or event

(in early opera)

an introductory scene in which a narrator summarizes the main action of the work
a brief independent play preceding the opera, esp one in honour of a patron

verb -logues, -loguing or -logued or US -logs, -loging or -loged

(tr) to introduce or preface with or as if with a prologue

Word Origin for prologue

C13: from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos, from pro- ² + logos discourse

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

Word Origin and History for prologue

early 14c., from Old French prologue (12c.) and directly from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos "preface to a play, speaker of a prologue," literally "a speech beforehand," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + logos "discourse, speech," from legein "to speak" (see lecture (n.)).