n., pl., -di·ums, or -di·a (-dē-ə).
A beginning or introductory part, especially of a speech or treatise.
[Latin, from exōrdīrī, to begin : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + ōrdīrī, to begin.]
exordial ex·or'di·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
