Word a Day
preliminary
What does preliminary mean?
preliminary (adjective): denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you pronounce preliminary?
/pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does preliminary come from?
Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “preliminary”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “preliminary” mean?
of a statement, conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct
Not quite: that's what true means.
conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid
Not quite: that's what legitimate means.
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
Right! That's what “preliminary” means.
existing in reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact
Not quite: that's what actual means.
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