/prɪˈlɪmɪnəri; US -nerɪ ||; prɪˈlɪməˌnɛrɪ/adj
coming or happening before sth else that is more important 预备的;初步的:
After a few preliminary remarks the discussions began.说了几句开场白之后,讨论正式开始。
preliminary²
/prɪˈlɪmɪnəri ||; prɪˈlɪməˌnɛrɪ/noun
[C] [usu.pl] (pluralpreliminaries) an action or event that is done before and in preparation for another event 初步行动;准备工作:
Once the preliminaries are over, we can get down to business.准备工作完毕后,我们便可开始工作。
preliminary1/prIˋlImə͵nɛrI; prIˈlImən$ri or prIˈlImIn$ri/adj [only before noun 仅用于名词前] happening before something that is more important, often in order to prepare for it 预备的﹔初步的: European leaders meet tomorrow for preliminary talks. 欧洲各国领导人明日聚首举行初步会谈。the preliminary stages of the competition 竞赛的预备阶段
preliminary2n [C usually plural 一般用复数] plural preliminaries something that is done or said to introduce or prepare for something else later 准备工作﹐初步行动: the preliminaries of the competition 预赛