preface
verb/ˈprefəs/
/ˈprefəs/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they preface | /ˈprefəs/ /ˈprefəs/ |
| he / she / it prefaces | /ˈprefəsɪz/ /ˈprefəsɪz/ |
| past simple prefaced | /ˈprefəst/ /ˈprefəst/ |
| past participle prefaced | /ˈprefəst/ /ˈprefəst/ |
| -ing form prefacing | /ˈprefəsɪŋ/ /ˈprefəsɪŋ/ |
- preface something (with something) to provide a book or other piece of writing with a preface
- He prefaced the diaries with a short account of how they were discovered.
- Each chapter is prefaced by a quotation from Shakespeare.
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- preface something by/with something | preface something by doing something (formal) to say something before you start making a speech, answering a question, etc.
- I must preface my remarks with an apology.
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin praefatia, alteration of Latin praefatio(n-) ‘words spoken beforehand’, from the verb praefari, from prae ‘before’ + fari ‘speak’.
Check pronunciation:
preface