prelude (PREL-yood, PRAYL-, PRAY-lood, PREE-) noun
1. An introductory event, performance, or action preceding something
more important.
2. A musical section, overture, etc. serving as introduction to the
main composition, opera, play, etc.
verb tr., intr.
To serve as an introduction to something.
[From Medieval Latin praeludium, from Latin praeludere (to play
beforehand), from prae- (pre-) + ludere (to play). Ultimately from
Indo-European root leid- (to play) that is also the ancestor of words
such as allude, collude, delude, elude, illusion, and ludicrous.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=prelude
"While the main vascular congress will begin on November 4, a continuing
medical education programme aimed at post-graduate students and junior
doctors will be held on November 3 as a prelude to the conference."
Kalam to Open 11th Vascular Conference; The Times of India (New Delhi);
Nov 3, 2004.
"Some interpreted his (Rudy Giuliani's) campaign for the Senate
(forestalled by cancer and marital woes) as the prelude to a push for
the presidency itself."
Clinton and Giuliani Outshine the Candidates; Montreal Gazette (Canada);
Oct 27, 2004.
The very first car I owned was a black hatchback Volkswagen Scirocco.
Before I plonked down my hard-earned graduate-school allowance for
this secondhand (euphemistically also called pre-owned or pre-loved)
automobile, I made sure its air-conditioning was A-OK. With a name
like Scirocco (hot, dry wind), I felt I just had to.
How do automakers come up with names for their cars? Some christen their
models with feminine sounding names (Ford Festiva, Chevrolet Lumina),
probably following the traditional way of naming boats, while others
go for macho names (Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Armada).
Some prefer animal names, as a way of ascribing those qualities to their
cars (Mercury Cougar, Dodge Viper, Ford Bronco). Others name their cars
after cities (Dodge Daytona, Chevrolet Corsica, GMC Yukon). Still others
take the easy way out and use what appears to be a jumble of letters and
numbers though these often indicate engine capacity or some such
characteristics.
Here are some interesting auto tidbits:
o Camry is an anagram of "My car".
o "A TOYOTA" is a palindrome, and forms a mirror image.
o Chevrolet named a car Nova. In Spanish "No va" means "It doesn't go."
o Then there was the unreliable Yugo which earned the nickname "You no go."
o Saab is an acronym for Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Aircraft
Company Ltd); BMW is Bayerische Motoren-Werke (Bavarian Motor Works).
Ever wondered what your car's name means? This week we explain meanings
of five auto names (Prelude is a car from Honda).
-Anu Garg
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sponsors' Messages:
A cure for brain drain! One brain-building, at-a-glance email a day helps
keep embarrassing ignorance away. http://knowledgenews.net/s?s=aw110404
Give an awesome stocking stuffer: Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty! Friends and
family adore its fun colors and adult-sized handfuls: http://puttyworld.com
............................................................................
Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.
-Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter,
educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941)
Send your comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send
a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "Subject:" line as "subscribe <Name>"
or "unsubscribe". Archives, FAQ, gift subscription form, bulletin board,
and more at http://wordsmith.org/awad/
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.ram
Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.html
This message was sent to "[email protected]".
