Etymologically
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introductory

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɪntɹəˈdʌktəɹi/[1]
  • US: /ˌɪntɹəˈdʌktɚi/[1]

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

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