Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

prŏoemĭum, ii, n., = προοίμιον.

  1. I. An introduction, preface, proem (class.; syn.: exordium, principium): quod principium Latine vel exordium dicitur, majore quădam ratione Graeci videntur προοίμιον nominasse: quia a nostris initium modo significatur, illi satis clare partem hanc esse ante ingressum rei, de quă dicendum sit, ostendunt ..certe prooemium est, quod apud judicem, priusquam causam cognoverit, prosit, Quint. 4, 1, 1; cf. id. 4, 1, 53; 2, 13, 1; 3, 9, 1; 3, 11, 28 et saep.: citharoedi prooemium, prelude, Cic. de Or. 2, 80, 325: longo et alte petito prooemio respondere, id. Clu. 21, 58’ volumen prooemiorum . .prooemio abuti prooemium exarare, desecare, agglutinare, id. Att. 16, 6, 4: legis prooemium, id. Leg. 2, 7, 16.
  2. II. Transf., in gen., a beginning (poet.): rixae, Juv 3, 288.