Added 10 October 2026
prelude
/ˈpɹɛljuːd/ noun
In Latin: praelūsiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prelude at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An introductory or preliminary performance or event.
- A short, free-form piece of music, originally one serving as an introduction to a longer and more complex piece; later, starting with the Romantic period, generally a stand-alone piece. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- A standard module or library of subroutines and functions to be imported, generally by default, into a program.
verb
- To introduce something, as a prelude.
- To play an introduction or prelude; to give a prefatory performance.
Origin
From Middle French prélude (“singing to test a musical instrument”), from Medieval Latin preludium, from Latin praelūdere.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)