prel ‧ ude /ˈpreljuːd/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: prélude , from Medieval Latin praeludium , from Latin praeludere 'to play before' ]
1 . a prelude to something if an event is a prelude to a more important event, it happens just before it and makes people expect it:
Living together as a prelude to marriage is now considered acceptable in many countries.
2 . a short piece of music, especially one played at the beginning of a longer musical piece or before a church ceremony:
Chopin’s Preludes
an organ prelude