Meaning of "preface" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PREFACE

From Medieval Latin praefātia, from Latin praefātiō a saying beforehand, from praefārī to utter in advance, from prae before + fārī to say.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF PREFACE

preface  [ˈprɛfɪs]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PREFACE

Preface is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb preface in English.

WHAT DOES PREFACE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Preface

A preface or proem, is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a foreword and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes with acknowledgments of those who assisted in the literary work. A preface generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or how the idea for the book was developed; this is often followed by thanks and acknowledgments to people who were helpful to the author during the time of writing. A preface is usually signed; a foreword by another person is always signed. Information essential to the main text is generally placed in a set of explanatory notes, or perhaps in an "Introduction" that may be paginated with Arabic numerals, rather than in the preface. The term preface can also mean any preliminary or introductory statement. It is sometimes abbreviated pref. Preface comes from the Latin, meaning either "spoken before" or "made before". While the former source of the word could have preface meaning the same as prologue, the latter strongly implies an introduction written before the body of the book.

Definition of preface in the English dictionary

The first definition of preface in the dictionary is a statement written as an introduction to a literary or other work, typically explaining its scope, intention, method, etc; foreword. Other definition of preface is anything introductory. Preface is also a prayer of thanksgiving and exhortation serving as an introduction to the canon of the Mass.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO PREFACE

PRESENT

Present

I preface

you preface

he/she/it prefaces

we preface

you preface

they preface

Present continuous

I am prefacing

you are prefacing

he/she/it is prefacing

we are prefacing

you are prefacing

they are prefacing

Present perfect

I have prefaced

you have prefaced

he/she/it has prefaced

we have prefaced

you have prefaced

they have prefaced

Present perfect continuous

I have been prefacing

you have been prefacing

he/she/it has been prefacing

we have been prefacing

you have been prefacing

they have been prefacing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I prefaced

you prefaced

he/she/it prefaced

we prefaced

you prefaced

they prefaced

Past continuous

I was prefacing

you were prefacing

he/she/it was prefacing

we were prefacing

you were prefacing

they were prefacing

Past perfect

I had prefaced

you had prefaced

he/she/it had prefaced

we had prefaced

you had prefaced

they had prefaced

Past perfect continuous

I had been prefacing

you had been prefacing

he/she/it had been prefacing

we had been prefacing

you had been prefacing

they had been prefacing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will preface

you will preface

he/she/it will preface

we will preface

you will preface

they will preface

Future continuous

I will be prefacing

you will be prefacing

he/she/it will be prefacing

we will be prefacing

you will be prefacing

they will be prefacing

Future perfect

I will have prefaced

you will have prefaced

he/she/it will have prefaced

we will have prefaced

you will have prefaced

they will have prefaced

Future perfect continuous

I will have been prefacing

you will have been prefacing

he/she/it will have been prefacing

we will have been prefacing

you will have been prefacing

they will have been prefacing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would preface

you would preface

he/she/it would preface

we would preface

you would preface

they would preface

Conditional continuous

I would be prefacing

you would be prefacing

he/she/it would be prefacing

we would be prefacing

you would be prefacing

they would be prefacing

Conditional perfect

I would have preface

you would have preface

he/she/it would have preface

we would have preface

you would have preface

they would have preface

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been prefacing

you would have been prefacing

he/she/it would have been prefacing

we would have been prefacing

you would have been prefacing

they would have been prefacing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you preface
we let´s preface
you preface

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to preface

Past participle

prefaced

Present Participle

prefacing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «PREFACE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «preface» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of preface

begin · exordium · foreword · introduce · introduction · launch · lead up to · open · preamble · precede · prefix · preliminary · prelude · proem · prolegomenon · prologue

TRANSLATION OF PREFACE

Find out the translation of preface to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of preface from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «preface» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 前言
• Translator English - Spanish: prefacio
• English: preface
• Translator English - Hindi: प्रस्तावना
• Translator English - Arabic: مقدمة
• Translator English - Russian: предисловие
• Translator English - Portuguese: prefácio
• Translator English - Bengali: মুখবন্ধ
• Translator English - French: préface
• Translator English - Malay: Kata pengantar
• Translator English - German: Vorwort
• Translator English - Japanese: 前書き
• Translator English - Korean: 서문
• Translator English - Javanese: PURWAKA
• Translator English - Vietnamese: lời tựa
• Translator English - Tamil: முன்னுரையில்
• Translator English - Marathi: प्रस्तावना
• Translator English - Turkish: önsöz
• Translator English - Italian: prefazione
• Translator English - Polish: przedmowa
• Translator English - Ukrainian: Передмова
• Translator English - Romanian: prefață
• Translator English - Greek: πρόλογος
• Translator English - Afrikaans: voorwoord
• Translator English - Swedish: förord
• Translator English - Norwegian: forordet

2 QUOTES WITH «PREFACE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word preface.

1

James Loeb

I therefore set to work, and after two and a half years of not inconsiderable labour I now have the privilege and the satisfaction of accompanying the early volumes of the series with this preface.

2

James Rollins

Generally, if you preface an interview request with, 'I'm an author writing a book,' for some reason, that seems to open a lot of doors.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PREFACE»

Discover the use of preface in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to preface and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

A Preface to Economic Democracy

Robert Dahl, author of the classic A Preface to Democratic Theory, explores this alleged conflict, particularly in modern American society where differences in ownership and control of corporate enterprises create inequalities in resources ...

Robert Alan Dahl, 1986

A Preface to Democratic Theory, Expanded Edition

For this fiftieth-anniversary edition, Dahl has written an extensive new afterword that reevaluates Madisonian theory in light of recent research.

Robert A. Dahl, 2006

The Preface to Luke's Gospel

Completely re-evaluates the backgound to and provenance of the preface to Luke's Gospel.

Loveday Alexander, 2005

Preface to Marketing Management

Preface to Marketing Management, 12e, by Peter and Donnelly, is praised in the market for its organization, format, clarity, brevity and flexibility. The text serves as an overview for critical issues in marketing management.

J. Paul Peter, Jr Donnelly, James, 2010

Preface to Modernism

Berman traces the conceptual lineage of modernism, examining its evolution in Western art and literature through empiricism, idealism, and romanticism.

Art Berman, 1994

A Preface to Colonial American Poetry: A Study in the Poetry ...

Author Wisam Khalid has tailored this book to fit the needs of not only foreign seekers but also native undergraduates who will find interesting comparative insights into American and English poetry.

Wisam Abdul Jabbar, 2005

Preface to Shakespeare

We partner with leading publishers around the globe. Our goal is to have accessible editions simultaneously released with publishers' new books so that all readers can have access to the books they want to read.

Samuel Johnson, 2009

Preface to Peasantry: A Tale of Two Black Belt Counties

Originally published in 1936, Preface to Peasantry confirmed Raper's place in the Chapel Hill Southern Regionalist movement of the 1930s and 1940s and elaborated his belief that New Deal federal planning could create progressive social ...

Arthur Franklin Raper, 1936

A Preface to Philosophy

Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Mark Woodhouse, 2012

A preface to Shakespeare's comedies, 1594-1603

As well as supplying dramatic and critical analysis, this book sets the plays within their wider social and artistic context.

Michael Mangan, 1996

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PREFACE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term preface is used in the context of the following news items.

'A Plan of Action' to build an Iranian bomb

When the U.S. allows Iran to reaffirm a lie in the preface of an agreement, that signals disaster in the rest of the document. In a comprehensive ... «Southeast Missourian, Jul 15»

Who's the closest current pitcher to vintage Pedro?

We're going to focus only on Pedro's 1999 season -- when he was at the height of his powers -- in comparison to 2015 starters. As a preface, here is the ... «FOXSports.com, Jul 15»

Khristenko brings fitful Russian flair to American program

Gershwin indicated in his preface to the collection that, “The rhythms of American popular music are more or less brittle; they should be made to ... «Chicago Classical Review, Jul 15»

William Blue Dining

At least she doesn't preface it with "move it" or "you break it, you bought it".) The beautiful bones of the restaurant still exist, for the most part. «Good Food, Jul 15»

Obama Has a New Plan to Close Gitmo, but Will He Give the Base …

At least one Miami rep thinks Obama's move is just a preface to a much bigger change: namely, giving the entire base back to Cuba to help ... «Miami New Times, Jul 15»

Book: On Democracy

Robert A. Dahl (1915-2014), Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science; with a new preface and two new chapters by Ian Shapiro, Sterling ... «Yale News, Jul 15»

My colleague APJ Abdul Kalam , a karmayogi

He said: "Then I will write the preface." That was not to be. (Nambi Narayanan is a former Isro scientist who was in charge of the cryogenic ... «Times of India, Jul 15»

Roy Keane has three entries in the history of football in 100 quotes

Mourinho's "Please do not call me arrogant" preface to labelling himself "The Special One" also qualifies. And Keano has three contributions. «Irish Examiner, Jul 15»

GENE HOGLAN On Upcoming DARK ANGEL Comeback Album …

He'll preface the e-mail with the attachment, saying, 'I know this isn't quite what we're probably looking for, but, hey, here's something I just ... «BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Jul 15»

Three Choirs Festival, Hereford Cathedral, review: 'drunk on …

It was a thought-provoking move, to preface this hour-long extravaganza with another great paean to the power of love, the Prelude and ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»