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Added 9 October 2026

preface

/ˈpɹɛfəs/ noun

In Latin: praefātiō, prohoemium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about preface at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A short introductory essay preceding the text of a book.

verb

Furnish with a preface or introduction.
She always precedes her lectures with a joke

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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