preliminary

adj

1. (not-comparable)In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.

   “These are just the preliminary results.”

   “And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.”

   “The Zurich group has shared a preliminary writeup of its findings.”

   “An email from ICE headquarters to the agency’s top officials on October 5 lamented that “a considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates” had been showing up to the academy; they had “misrepresented” their physical condition on application forms. The email directed leaders at ICE’s field offices to conduct preliminary fitness exams with new recruits before sending them to the academy.”

noun

1. A preparation for a main matter; an introduction.

   “In the Chinese novels, often of a very literary character, devoted to masculine love, it seems that all the preliminaries and transports of normal love are to be found, while physical union may terminate the scene.”

2. Any of a series of sports events that determine the finalists
3. A relatively minor contest that precedes a major one, especially in boxing