- denoting an action or event preceding or done in preparation for something fuller or more important初步的; 起始的; 预备的：
preliminary talks
初始的会谈
the discussions were seen as preliminary to the policy paper.
这些讨论被当作形成政策性文件的预备阶段。
(pl. -ies)
1- an action or event preceding or preparing for something fuller or more important初步做法; 起始行为：
the bombardment was resumed as a preliminary to an infantry attack.
重新开始的轰炸是步兵进攻的序曲。
1.1
preliminaries
business or talk, especially of a formulaic or polite nature, taking place before an action or event（尤指程序性或礼节性的）预备性事务（或对话）：she began speaking, without preliminaries.
她开门见山, 没有任何客套话。
1.2
- a preliminary round in a sporting competition预赛。
短语
preliminary to
- preparatory to; in advance of为…作准备的; 先于…的。
派生词
preliminarily
adverb词源
mid 17th cent.: from modern Latin praeliminaris or French préliminaire, from Latin prae 'before'+limen, limin- 'threshold'.