ALL meanings of preliminaries'
pre·lim·i·nar·y
P p - adjective preliminaries' preceding and leading up to the main part, matter, or business; introductory; preparatory: preliminary examinations. 1
- noun plural preliminaries' something preliminary, as an introductory or preparatory step, measure, contest, etc.: He passed the preliminary and went on to the finals. 1
- noun plural preliminaries' a boxing match or other athletic contest that takes place before the main event on the program: A preliminary was fought at 8:00. 1
- noun plural preliminaries' a preliminary examination, as of a candidate for an academic degree. 1
- noun plural preliminaries' preliminaries, Printing. front matter. 1
- noun preliminaries' all material in a book that precedes the text proper, as the title page, copyright page, table of contents, dedication, and preface. 1