prelims

English

Noun

prelims

1. plural of prelim
2. The preliminary front matter of a book; all content preceding the main text or work itself.
   • 2014, “1.1 General Principles”, in “The parts of a book”, in New Oxford Style Manual, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     A book usually consists of three sections: preliminary matter (also called prelims or front matter), the main text, and end matter. All books have some kind of prelims, all have a text, and most works of non-fiction have end matter.

3. (uncountable, collective, Oxford University slang) Preliminary examinations taken as a whole, as sat by an individual or year group.

   Are you done with prelims yet?

Synonyms

• (content preceding the main work): front matter; see also Thesaurus:front matter

Anagrams

• limpers, rimples, simpler