0 an introduction at the beginning of a book explaining its purpose, thanking people who helped the author, etc.: --
1 If you preface your words or actions with something else, you say or do this other thing first: --
I should like to preface my response with the following observation.
Each work is prefaced by a descriptive note and concludes with an author's note.
2 something that comes before and introduces a more important thing, esp. an introduction at the beginning of a book that explains its aims: --
an author’s preface
First, the and prefaces a turn that is not officially scripted.
The prefaces reveal that the establishment of papal primacy came slowly.
The individual months are prefaced with a small amount of poetic and astronomical material, as is the calendar as a whole.
The prefaces also highlight continuities between the source text and translation.
The letters for each year are prefaced by the same kind of material that introduces the first year.
He has also assisted the reader by prefacing them with a lengthy and authoritative introduction.
The dictionary has lists of rhyming slang and of backslang, both prefaced by a brief history and discussion.
Answers to why-type questions may be prefaced by because, which identifies what follows as an explanation fitted to the question.