Meaning & use
Exordium
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The introductory part of a speech, essay, or treatise, intended to prepare the audience for what follows.
See it in a sentence
The lawyer's exordium set a respectful tone before she moved to the facts of the case.
Classical rhetoricians taught that a strong exordium should win the audience's attention immediately.
A note on using this word
Exordium comes from Latin exordiri, 'to begin a web,' evoking a weaver starting a new piece of cloth.
Words with a similar meaning
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