Adjective: preliminary pri'li-mu,ne-ree [N. Amer], pri'li-mi-n(u-)ree [Brit]
- Denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
"a preliminary investigation";
- precursory, precursive
- Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
"training is a necessary preliminary to employment";
- overture, prelude
- A minor match preceding the main event
"He won his preliminary fight easily";
- prelim [informal]
Derived forms: preliminaries
See also: explorative, exploratory
Type of: athletic competition, athletic contest, athletics, inception, origin, origination
Encyclopedia: Preliminary