preliminarily

Preliminarily is an adverb that describes something done in a preliminary or tentative manner, or in advance of a final or definitive action.

It indicates provisional steps or early conclusions that may be revised. In science, law, journalism, and project planning, statements or analyses may be described as preliminarily performed or preliminarily reported.

Etymology: The word is formed from the adjective preliminary plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Preliminary itself traces to Late Latin prae-limināris via Old French and Middle English, with limen meaning threshold; the sense is “before the threshold” or “before the main action.”

Examples: The committee preliminarily approved the budget, pending further review. The investigators preliminarily found no evidence of fraud, though a full audit was scheduled.