prelim
nounEtymology Clipping of preliminary. Sense 2 ("clipping of preliminary examination") was originally Oxford University slang, now in common use.
1
Informal Something preliminary, such as a trial, report, race, etc.
2
Abbreviation, Clipping, Informal, Plural normally Clipping of preliminary examination; a type of exam sat at the end of the first year of most undergraduate degrees.
3
In plural The preliminary front matter of a book; all content preceding the main text or work itself.