front matter

See synonyms for front matter on Thesaurus.com
nounPrinting.
  1. all material in a book that precedes the text proper, as the title page, copyright page, table of contents, dedication, and preface.

Origin of front matter

1
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
  • Also called preliminaries.

Words Nearby front matter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use front matter in a sentence

  • front matter consisting of a blurb and a list of other publications by the author has been moved to the end of the text.

    Storm Over Warlock | Andre Norton
  • The frontispiece illustration and introductory front matter has been moved to follow the title page.

    King of Camargue | Jean Aicard
  • Inexplicably, the pagination of this text's front matter runs i-xi, then begins again at v for the list of plates and reviews.

  • The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the front matter.

    Pirates | Anonymous
  • The cover image has been created using the information from and design of the original front matter.

    A New History of Blue Beard | Gaffer Black Beard

British Dictionary definitions for front matter

front matter

noun
  1. another name for prelims (def. 1)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012