prologue
/ˈproʊlɒɡ/·프롤로그·noun
an opening section of a book or play
GreekCEFR B2
Root
pro- (before) + Greek 'logos' (word)
Greek prologos (something said before) → Latin prologus → Old French prologue → English prologue
In a word
pro- (before) + logos (word) = 'words spoken before'. Originally, an actor stepped onto a Greek stage and addressed the audience before the play began. The mirror twin is epilogue — the word that comes after. The opening voice and the closing voice live inside one root.
Examples
The book has a short prologue.
The first chapter feels like a prologue.
War was the prologue to many changes.
Related
logicdialoguemonologuebiologyepilogue