Meaning

4 senses
  1. A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the book and sometimes to acknowledge others' contributions; especially, such a discussion written by the work's own author.

    Holonyms: front matter, prelims

    The book included a brief preface explaining the author's motivations for writing.

    Vorwort, Vorrede

    предисло́виеpredislóvije, введе́ниеvvedénije, проло́гprológ

    передмо́ваperedmóva

  2. An introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.

  3. A variable prayer forming the prelude or introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer or canon of the Mass, following the Sursum corda dialogue and leading into the Sanctus.

    Meronyms: protocol, embolism, eschatocol

    Präfation

  4. A title or epithet.

More definitions
  • a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book

Examples

13 sentences
  1. A book without preface is like a body without a soul.

    ruКнига без предисловия как тело без души. — marafon

    deEin Buch ohne Vorwort ist wie ein Körper ohne Seele. — Esperantostern

  2. This dictionary has a preface, not a foreword.

    У цьому словнику є передмова, а не вступ. — deniko

    deDieses Wörterbuch hat eine Vorbemerkung, kein Vorwort. — Dejo

  3. He said it in the preface.

  4. Who wrote the preface for this book?

    ruКто написал предисловие к этой книге? — marafon

  5. Who wrote the preface to his book?

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
introduction before the main text:
Русский
By meaning 1
introduction before the main text:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
introduction before the main text:
prayer before the canon of the Mass:

Origin

Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from whic

Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from which derives the modern French préface), from Medieval Latin prefātia, for classical Latin praefātiō (“a saying beforehand”), from praefor (“to speak beforehand”), from prae- (“beforehand”) + for (“to speak”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: prefaces

Synonyms

2 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

5 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
preface — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto