preface

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العربية الفصحى
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/ˈprefəs/
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An introductory section, remark, or preliminary act, with a specialised church sense for the prayer that leads into the Sanctus.
Practice using preface in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The talks were only a preface to a wider peace agreement.
  • The seasonal Preface changes with the church calendar.
  • Her preface thanks the archives that preserved the documents.
  • The warning signs formed a grim preface to the crisis.
  • The preface explains why the author returned to the subject after twenty years.

Similar words

prelude
prologue
preamble
introduction
lead-in
eucharistic preface
forerunner
opening note
thanksgiving prayer
preliminary note

Meanings

Opening section before a work

noun
literature
neutral
An introductory section placed before the main text of a book, report, or similar work, often explaining why it was written and how to read it.

Examples

  • The preface explains why the author returned to the subject after twenty years.
  • In the preface, the editor describes how the letters were discovered.
  • The revised edition includes a new preface by the translator.
  • Readers who skip the preface may miss the book's historical setting.
  • Her preface thanks the archives that preserved the documents.

Similar words

introduction
foreword
prologue
preamble
preliminary note
opening note

Introduce with something first

verb
communication
formal
To begin a speech, answer, chapter, or action with a short remark, explanation, quotation, or other opening material.

Examples

  • She prefaced her remarks with a brief apology.
  • Each chapter is prefaced by a quotation from the diaries.
  • I should preface my answer by saying that the data are incomplete.
  • The curator prefaced the exhibition with a note about provenance.
  • He prefaced the announcement with a warning about the noise.

Similar words

introduce
begin
open
precede
lead into
set up

Preliminary lead-in

noun
events
formal
Something that comes first and prepares the way for a larger event, change, or result.

Examples

  • The talks were only a preface to a wider peace agreement.
  • The small protest became the preface to months of reform.
  • That first meeting was a quiet preface to their long partnership.
  • The warning signs formed a grim preface to the crisis.
  • For many voters, the debate was a preface to a larger argument.

Similar words

prelude
preamble
lead-in
introduction
preliminary
forerunner

Eucharistic prayer before the Sanctus

noun
religion
technical
A formal prayer of thanksgiving in the Eucharist or Mass that leads into the Sanctus.

Examples

  • The priest chanted the Preface before the congregation sang the Sanctus.
  • The missal includes a proper Preface for the feast.
  • During the Preface, the prayer turns toward thanksgiving.
  • The seasonal Preface changes with the church calendar.
  • The choir waited for the end of the Preface before beginning the Sanctus.

Similar words

proper preface
eucharistic preface
thanksgiving prayer

Etymology

From late Middle English, through Old French and Medieval Latin forms of Latin praefatio, meaning words spoken beforehand, from prae meaning before and fari meaning speak.

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