exordium
/ɪɡˈzɔːdɪəm
/ /ɛɡˈzɔːdɪəm/noun (plural exordiums or exordia /ɪɡˈzɔːdɪə/) formal
The beginning or introductory part, especially of a discourse or treatise.What he finally said, after a long exordium, was that at the earliest opportunity a democratic congress should determine France's political future....
- Beginning his exordium with high-minded praise of the intellect, he declares that the contemporary world's rightful rulers are the wise and moral.
- In one case we know that he delivered a speech from a script; otherwise only a few important passages, chiefly the exordium and peroration, were written out in extenso beforehand.
Derivatives
exordial
/ /ɛɡˈzɔːdɪəl / adjectiveOrigin
Late 16th century: from Latin, from exordiri 'begin', from ex- 'out, from' + ordiri 'begin'.