Etymograph

English

preliminary

Preliminary comes from New Latin praelīmināris, and goes back to līmen ‘threshold’.

  1. New Latinc. 1500–1900līmen1‘threshold’
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900praelīmināris1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1927preliminary1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English preliminary
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex: “In the Chinese novels, often of a very literary…”.

Lineage

  1. New Latinc. 1500–1900līmenWiktionary, English preliminary‘threshold’
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900praelīminārisWiktionary, English preliminary
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1927preliminaryWiktionary, English preliminary. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex: “In the Chinese novels, often of a very literary…”

Linked words

through New Latin līmen ‘threshold’

eliminate, elimination, sublime, sublimation, subliminal, sublimate, liminal, 4 more

Today it means

adj In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “preliminary”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / New Latin līmen / preliminary

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