INTRODUC'TION, noun [Latin introductio.]

1. The action of conducting or ushering into a place; used of persons. We speak of the introduction of one stranger to another; the introduction of a foreign minister to a prince or court, and the introduction of company to a levee.

2. The act of bringing into a country; as the introduction of gold or bullion, or of merchandise.

3. The act of bringing something into notice, practice or use; as the introduction of new modes of dress or of tillage.

4. The part of a book which precedes the main work; a preface or preliminary discourse.

5. The first part of an oration or discourse, in which the speaker gives some general account of his design and subject, and prepares the minds of his audience for a favorable reception of his remarks or arguments.