Prelusive

//pɹɪˈluːsɪv// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Acting as a prelude; preliminary.

    "On the grim Pequod's forecastle, ye shall ere long see him, beating his tambourine; prelusive of the eternal time, when sent for, to the great quarter-deck on high, he was bid strike in with angels, and beat his tambourine in glory; called a coward here, hailed a hero there!"

Example

More examples

"On the grim Pequod's forecastle, ye shall ere long see him, beating his tambourine; prelusive of the eternal time, when sent for, to the great quarter-deck on high, he was bid strike in with angels, and beat his tambourine in glory; called a coward here, hailed a hero there!"

Etymology

From the past participle stem of Latin praelūdere + -ive.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.