preliminary
prih-LIM-uh-nair-eeadjMeaning coming before the main part, to prepare for it
Memory hook PRE-LIMB: stretch your LIMBS before. Before the big race, Dev stretches every limb, one by one: these are his preliminary exercises.
The preliminary round of the spelling bee weeded out half the contestants.
In context Before building the full bridge, the engineers ran preliminary tests on a small model to see how it would handle strong wind.
Similar introductory, preparatory, initial, opening
Opposite final, concluding, main
From Latin prae- (before) + limen (threshold): what comes before you step through the door.