prologue

noun

pro·​logue ˈprō-ˌlȯg 

-ˌläg

variants or less commonly prolog

1

: the preface or introduction to a literary work

2

a

: a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the beginning of a play

b

: the actor speaking such a prologue

3

: an introductory or preceding event or development

Did you know?

In ancient Greek drama, the prologos (a word that means basically "speaking before") was the opening portion of the play, before the entry of the all-important chorus. It might be spoken by a single actor, maybe playing a god, who would "set the scene" for the audience. Playwrights today instead often provide the same kind of "scene-setting" information through dialogue near the play's beginning; in movies, it may appear (as in the "Star Wars" series) in the form of actual written text. In a nonfiction book, the lead-in is now usually called a preface or introduction; novels rarely provide any introduction at all. Still, prologue remains a useful word for nonliterary purposes. The saying "The past is prologue" tells us that, in real life, almost everything can be a prologue to what follows it.

Synonyms

• curtain-raiser
• overture
• preamble
• preliminary
• prelude
• warm-up

Examples of prologue in a Sentence

the prologue to his autobiography

unfortunately, the burglary, which he committed while still a teen, was but a prologue to a wasted life of crime

Recent Examples on the Web

The novel opens in 1980 with a thriller prologue: Thirty-three-year-old Carl Fletcher, son of the late Zelig, is kidnapped by a pair of antisemitic thugs who beat and threaten him for five days. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 9 July 2024

From this prologue, the film jumps forward from the ’70s to the Clinton administration to find Lee participating in an FBI search. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 July 2024

But if past is prologue, a determined U.S. administration may be difficult to dissuade from joining a nuclear deal with Iran. —Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2021

The 2021 sequel, A Quiet Place Part 2, continued their story but added a 10-minute prologue unfolding on Day One, in which families at a Little League baseball game watch in alarm as what looks like a meteorite hurtles through the sky and makes impact in the near distance. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prolog, from Anglo-French prologue, from Latin prologus preface to a play, from Greek prologos part of a Greek play preceding the entry of the chorus, from pro- before + legein to speak — more at pro-, legend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prologue

noun

pro·​logue ˈprō-ˌlȯg 

1

: an introduction to a book or play

2

: an act or event that comes before or introduces something