preliminary
n. countablen. an action or event that happens before something more important. You do this to prepare for the main activity.
n. an introductory action, event, or measure that precedes a more significant development. Often used in the plural to describe the initial stages of a formal process.
The team passed the preliminaries and reached the final.
After the usual preliminaries of handshakes and small talk, the two leaders began the formal negotiation.
The committee spent several weeks on the necessary preliminaries, ensuring that all legal requirements were met before the public inquiry officially commenced.
Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare Latin līmināris (“of or belonging to a threshold”). Compare French préliminaire.
Frequently used in the plural ('preliminaries') to refer to the introductory steps of a meeting or competition.