introductory

Etymology

It is first inherited from Middle English introductorie (“introductory treatise”), a noun,^[2][3] and is borrowed from Late Latin intrōductōrius,^[3][4][5][6] which Cassiodorus used of introductory books;^[3] the MED takes the Middle English noun from Medieval Latin.^[2] The Late Latin adjective is formed on Latin intrōductus, the past participle of intrōdūcō (“to lead in, bring in”),^[4][5][6] with the suffix -ōrius.^[6][3] The verb is formed from intrō- (“inward”) and dūcō (“to lead”), from Proto-Indo-European *deuk- (“to lead”).^[4] The OED compares Old French introductoire.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun, an introductory treatise or textbook: about 1400, in a manuscript of Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe (composed 1391), where the fifth part was to be an introductorie to astrology.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The noun introductory, a textbook, was used until the mid 16th century (last in 1552).^[3][7] The adjective appears about 1600,^[4] first, in 1605, in Edward Coke's Reports in the sense "serving to introduce or bring in", followed by of, which was obsolete by 1800.^[3] The main modern sense, leading up to something that follows, preliminary, is recorded from 1660,^[3] and that of serving to introduce one person to another from 1787.^[3] Johnson (1755) defined it as "previous; serving as a means to something further", quoting Boyle.^[8] The noun was revived in the 17th century for a preliminary step (from 1646).^[3][7]

Timeline

• c. 1400 – noun, an introductory treatise (obsolete by 1552).^[3][2]
• 1605 – adjective, serving to introduce or bring in (obsolete by 1800).^[3][6]
• 1646 – noun, a preliminary step.^[3]
• 1660 – leading up to something that follows; preliminary.^[3]
• 1787 – serving to introduce a person.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Serving as an introduction to something; preliminary or prefatory: a few introductory words from the host.^[9][10][6]
2. Of a course or book, meant for beginners; elementary: an introductory course in statistics.^[9][6]
3. Serving to introduce one person to another.^[3]

Noun

1. A preliminary step leading to something further.^[3][7]
2. (obsolete, c. 1400–1552) An introductory treatise or textbook.^[3][7][2]

Word family

• introductorily
• introductoriness
• subintroductory

Related words

• introduce
• introduction
• induct
• reduce
• produce

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
9. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins