noun
Meaning 1
An introductory or preliminary performance or event.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: preface
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
prelude
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɛljuːd/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːluːd/
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Canada, US: /ˈpɹeɪl(j)uːd/
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Canada, US: /ˈpɹɛl(j)uːd/
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Canada, US: /ˈpɹiːl(j)uːd/
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Wales: /ˈpɹɛlɪu̯d/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: P R EY1 L UW2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: intrada, overture
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A standard module or library of subroutines and functions to be imported, generally by default, into a program.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A forerunner to anything.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To introduce something, as a prelude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To play an introduction or prelude; to give a prefatory performance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an opera
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: music
Narrower terms: chorale prelude
noun
Meaning 8
something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- training is a necessary preliminary to employment
- drinks were the overture to dinner
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: preliminary, overture
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: origin, origination, inception
verb
Meaning 9
play as a prelude
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: play, spiel
verb
Meaning 10
serve as a prelude or opening to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: serve, function
History
Etymology
From Middle French prélude (“singing to test a musical instrument”), from Medieval Latin preludium, from Latin praelūdere.
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: увод (uvod) — introductory event
- Bulgarian: въведение (vǎvedenie) — introductory event
- Catalan: preludi — introductory event
- Chinese Mandarin: 序幕 (xùmù) — introductory event
- French: prélude — introductory event
- Ancient Greek: προοίμιον (prooímion) — introductory event
- Indonesian: pendahuluan — introductory event
- Italian: preludio — introductory event
- Latin: praelūsiō — introductory event
- Polish: preludium — introductory event
- Portuguese: prelúdio — introductory event
- Russian: вступле́ние (vstuplénije) — introductory event
- Russian: прелю́дия (preljúdija) — introductory event
- Spanish: preludio — introductory event
- Spanish: antesala — introductory event
- Turkish: giriş — introductory event
- Ukrainian: прелю́дія (preljúdija) — introductory event
- Uyghur: مۇقەددىمە (muqeddime) — introductory event
- Belarusian: прэлю́дыя (preljúdyja) — short piece of music
- Bulgarian: прелюдия (preljudija) — short piece of music
- Catalan: preludi — short piece of music
- Chinese Mandarin: 前奏曲 (qiánzòuqǔ) — short piece of music
- Chinese Mandarin: 前奏 (qiánzòu) — short piece of music
- Chinese Mandarin: 过门 (guòmén) — short piece of music
- Czech: předehra — short piece of music
- Esperanto: preludo — short piece of music
- Finnish: alkusoitto — short piece of music
- Finnish: preludi — short piece of music
- German: Präludium — short piece of music
- German: Vorspiel — short piece of music
- Greek: πρελούδιο (preloúdio) — short piece of music
- Hungarian: prelúdium — short piece of music
- Hungarian: prelűd — short piece of music
- Hungarian: előjáték — short piece of music
- Italian: preludio — short piece of music
- Italian: ouverture — short piece of music
- Japanese: プレリュード (pureryūdo) — short piece of music
- Latin: praelūdium — short piece of music
- Norwegian Bokmål: preludium — short piece of music
- Norwegian Nynorsk: preludium — short piece of music
- Plautdietsch: Väaspell — short piece of music
- Polish: preludium — short piece of music
- Portuguese: prelúdio — short piece of music
- Romanian: preludiu — short piece of music
- Russian: прелю́дия (preljúdija) — short piece of music
- Spanish: preludio — short piece of music
- Turkish: prelüd — short piece of music
- Ukrainian: прелю́дія (preljúdija) — short piece of music
- Vietnamese: khúc dạo dầu — short piece of music
- Vietnamese: dạo đầu — short piece of music
Real reading context