preparatory
adjUS /ˈpɹɛp(ə)ɹətɔɹi/ · UK /ˈpɹɛp(ə)ɹət(ə)ɹi/
Etymology From Middle English preparatori, from Late Latin praeparatorius. By surface analysis, prepare + -atory.
1
Of or pertaining to preparation, having the purpose of making something or someone ready, preparative.
- I will conduct some preparatory research before choosing the new restaurant's location.
- A butcher bird has stirred, tuned its flute with a few preparatory notes.1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains, page 47:
- Derived terms
- cytopreparatory, nonpreparatory, preparatorily, preparatory it, preparatory school → prep school, preparatory subject