Noun
A
beginning
or
introductory
portion
that
comes
before
the
main
text
of
a
document
or
book
,
typically
serving
to
contextualize
or
explain
the
writing
of
the
book
and
sometimes
to
acknowledge
others
'
contributions
.
Verb
To
introduce
or
make
a
comment
before
(
the
main
point
).