/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。