prelusive

P3R1E1L1U1S1I1V4E1
UK/pɹɪˈluːsɪv/

adjective

Acting as a prelude; preliminary.

OriginLatin praelūdere →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectiveprelusive (comparative more prelusive, superlative most prelusive)

comparative more prelusive · superlative most prelusive · alternative prælusive

  1. Acting as a prelude; preliminary.

    On the grim Pequod's forecastle, ye shall ere long see him, beating his tambourine; prelusive of the eternal time, when sent for, to the great quarter-deck on high, he was bid strike in with angels, and beat his tambourine in glory; called a coward here, hailed a hero there!

    1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC

Origin

  1. Latinpraelūdere
  2. Englishprelusive

From the past participle stem of Latin praelūdere + -ive.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

repulsivepulverise
Cite this entry
APA

prelusive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prelusive

MLA

“prelusive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prelusive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prelusive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prelusive.

Source: prelusive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.