prologue.

An introductory passage or performance preceding the main narrative or action.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a novel’s prologue
• a spoken prologue

On the page

The prologue showed the locked room before any character knew it existed.

A spoken prologue warned the audience that the familiar account would be questioned.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular prologue; plural prologues. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.