Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

preface

/ˈpɹɛfəs/ noun, verb

Forms prefaces prefacing prefaced præface

  1. noun A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the book and sometimes to acknowledge others' contributions; especially, such a discussion written by the work's own author. “The book included a brief preface explaining the author's motivations for writing.”
  2. noun An introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.
  3. noun (Christianity) A variable prayer forming the prelude or introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer or canon of the Mass, following the Sursum corda dialogue and leading into the Sanctus.
  4. noun A title or epithet.
  5. verb (transitive) To introduce or make a comment before (the main point); to premise. “Let me preface this by saying that I don't know him that well.”
  6. verb (transitive) To give a preface to. “to preface a book”

Synonyms

foreword prolusion precede premise introduce

Etymology

Late 14th century, from Middle English preface, prefas, from Old French preface (from which derives the modern French préface), from Medieval Latin prefātia, for classical Latin praefātiō (“a saying beforehand”), from praefor (“to speak beforehand”), from prae- (“beforehand”) + for (“to speak”).

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun Something spoken as introductory to a discourse, or written as introductory to a book or essay; a proem; an introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.
  2. noun The prelude or introduction to the canon of the Mass. Addis & Arnold. Proper preface (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.), a portion of the communion service, preceding the prayer of consecration, appointed for certain seasons.
  3. verb To introduce by a preface; to give a preface to; as, to preface a book discourse.
  4. verb To make a preface. Jer. Taylor.

Etymology [F. préface; cf. Sp. prefacio, prefacion, It. prefazio, prefazione; all fr. L. praefatio, fr. praefari to speak or say beforehand; prae before + fari, fatus, to speak. See Fate.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “preface”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details

Sanskrit

Sanskrit dictionary entries whose meaning includes “preface” (best matches first).