Preliminary

Adjective

 * 1) in preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory
 * These are just the preliminary results.

Antonyms

 * definitive
 * final

Derived terms

 * preliminarily
 * preliminary results
 * preliminary considerations

Noun

 * 1) A preparation for a main matter; an introduction
 * 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

Adjectives for Preliminary
mysterious; invariable; essential; valuable; inevitable; indispensable.

Verbs for Preliminary
anticipate—; arrange—; engage in—; miss —; observe—; settle—; stage—; view—;—allays; —appeals; —entertains; —heads; —introduces; —leads; —precedes; —prefixes; —ushers in; —bridges; —prepares.

Thesaurus
advance, advanced, antecedent, anterior, arrangement, avant-garde, avant-propos, basic training, beginning, breakthrough, briefing, chief, clearing the decks, coming out, curtain raiser, debut, embarkation, embarkment, equipment, exordial, exordium, exploratory, familiarization, first, first appearance, fixing, floating, flotation, foremost, forerunning, foreword, foundation, front matter, frontispiece, groundwork, headmost, inaugural, inaugural address, inauguration, induction, initial, initiation, initiatory, innovation, installation, installment, introduction, introductory, launching, leading, leap, maiden speech, makeready, making ready, manufacture, mobilization, opener, opening, original, overture, planning, postulate, preamble, prearrangement, precedence, precedent, preceding, precessional, precursory, preface, prefatory, prefix, prefixed, prefixture, preliminaries, preliminary act, preliminary step, prelude, preludial, prelusive, premise, premonitory, prep, preparation, preparatory, preparatory study, preparing, prepositive, prepping, prerequisite, presupposition, pretreatment, prevenient, prior, processing, prodromal, prodrome, prodromic, proem, proemial, prolegomena, prolegomenon, prolepsis, prologue, propaedeutic, protasis, provision, readying, spadework, training, treatment, trial, tryout, unveiling, verse, voluntary, warm-up

Etymology
From the préliminaire: or from the Modern  praeliminaris:, formed from prae: + limen:, undefined: + -aris: (adjectival suffix); compare the  liminaris:.

Adjective

 * Czech:
 * Finnish: alustava, preliminaarinen, esi-
 * German: ,


 * Norwegian: preliminar
 * Romanian: introductiv, preliminar, pregătitor
 * Russian: предварительный, подготовительный