The appendix is what is appended to something. What do we call something that is prepended to something else?
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The opposite to appendix is the main-part. There is no ?prependix. It's more like on-, at- or off- then ante-. – vectory Sep 16 '19 at 22:25
When describing parts of a book, the "preface" or "prologue" are common.
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This is correct. Except for its anatomical meaning, "appendix" refers specifically to an addition to the end of a written work, usually a book. It is not a general term for something added after something else, although it could be used that way in a metaphorical sense. So the corresponding "in front of" meaning would be what @ptomato says. – Robusto Nov 24 '10 at 13:19
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"Foreword" (not to be confused with "forward") and "Introduction" are also common. – CCTO Mar 6 '20 at 16:28
Was expanding my comment to @ptomato's answer but didn't get it committed within the 5-minute mark, so am elevating this to a full answer.
In books, "foreword" (not to be confused with "forward") and "introduction" are also common. However:
In "appendix", the "ap-" seems to just convey "on" or "with"; it's the "pend" that conveys "hanging", thus "downward" or "following". So really the opposite of "append" might be something like "appose" or "adhere". "Prepend", notwithstanding its documented use, seems coined from a complete misunderstanding.
Accordingly to http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/prepend there is no such thing as "to prepend"
The correct English word is "prefix;" for example, "the header is prefixed to the packet." See prefix.
and
prefix: The beginning or to add to the beginning
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4"Prefix" is the opposite of "suffix". The opposite of "appendix" is less obvious, but ptomato's suggestions are closer (in my opinion). – Steve Melnikoff Nov 24 '10 at 12:13
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2OED says "prepend, v. To add at the beginning, to prefix, prepose" with earliest citation from 1872. – Gareth Rees Nov 24 '10 at 15:16
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