/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。