preface
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A short introductory essay preceding the text of a book.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prehfuhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹɛfəs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
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.
An introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.
Alternative letter-case form of preface ("prayer before the canon of the Mass").
A title or epithet.
verb
transitive
To introduce or make a comment before (the main point); to premise.
Furnish with a preface or introduction
transitive
To give a preface to.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
Used this way, preface is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- premise , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use preface
- “The author wrote a preface to explain the purpose of the book.”noun
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
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