preamble
noun
1.
a preliminary introduction to a statute or constitution (usually explaining its purpose)
verb
1.
make a preliminary introduction, usually to a formal document
Origin
From Middle English preamble, from Old French preambule (French préambule), from Medieval Latin praeambulum, from praeambulō (“to walk before”).
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Parts
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.