proem

American  

[proh-em] / ˈproʊ ɛm /

noun

1. an introductory discourse; introduction; preface; preamble.

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proem British  

/ ˈprəʊɛm, prəʊˈiːmɪəl /

noun

1. an introduction or preface, such as to a work of literature

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Other Word Forms

• proemial adjective

Etymology

Origin of proem

1350–1400; < Latin prooemium < Greek prooímion prelude ( pro- pro- ² + oím ( ē ) song + -ion diminutive suffix); replacing Middle English proheme < Middle French < Latin, as above

Example Sentences

After a moment or two, I said, “Well, some died in the war, and, if you read the proem carefully, you’ll recall that others died ‘through their own recklessness.’

From The New Yorker • Apr. 17, 2017

With this bold proem, George R. Barnes, director of BBC's "Third Program,"*launched one of the boldest ventures in the history of broadcasting.

From Time Magazine Archive

The opening—the proem I believe he calls it—is very beautiful. 

From Memoir of Jane Austen by Austen-Leigh, James Edward

With supreme indifference to the classic Arabic proem, he begins by saying that his Book is neither a Memoir nor an Autobiography, neither a Journal nor a Confession.

From The Book of Khalid by Rihani, Ameen Fares

Each complete book is introduced by a proem, a group of between four and eleven stanzas preceding the argument of Canto i.

From The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 by Spenser, Edmund