Definition of Preliminary
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; designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding
"a preliminary investigation"
- A minor match preceding the main event
- prelim
- Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
"training is a necessary preliminary to employment";
- overture, prelude
See also:
preliminarily
prelimit