From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprologuepro‧logue /ˈprəʊlɒɡ $ ˈproʊlɒːɡ, -lɑːɡ/ noun [countable usually singular] 1 ALthe introduction to a play, a long poem etc → epilogue2 literaryBEGINNING an act or event that leads to a more important eventprologue to a prologue to the final abandonment of trams in London
Examples from the Corpus
prologue• It is an eerie experience but only a prologue.• These quick distinctions are prologue to a crucial point.• The trials of the past are prologue to success.• The play begins with a brief prologue.• The brief prologue sets the scene for what is to follow.• Euripidean drama commonly has an expository prologue whose function is to outline the forthcoming action of the play.• In his prologue to 'Faust', Goethe said some very interesting things about art.• This casts doubt on the suggestion that Asclepiodatus was also responsible for the shorter prologue of Lex Salica.• Finally, in section 6 the association is made explicit, rounding out and completing the prologue to the poem.• The past is the prologue to the future.• the prologue to Shakespeare's Henry VOrigin prologue (1300-1400) Old French Latin prologus “first part of a play”, from Greek, from pro- “before” + legein “to speak” 