Preliminary (adjective)

1. Coming before something else, as a preparatory step.
2. Initial or preceding the main action or event.
3. Not yet final or complete; subject to change.

Origin:

From latin praeliminaris, from prae ("before") + liminaris ("threshold"), from limen ("threshold").

Examples:

1. The meeting was just a preliminary discussion before the main negotiation.
2. He did a preliminary study of the market before launching his new product.
3. The results of the preliminary exam were very promising.
4. The team made a preliminary design for the new building.
5. The proposal was only a preliminary draft and still needed some revisions.