Before a conversation. / Prior to the development of language skills to the level of conversation.

(music) A type of dulcimer whose metal strings are stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board that has two bridges, one bass and one treble, set on a stand and played with small mallet-like hammers.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cut, down. / (transitive) To bring down by cutting. / (idiomatic, transitive) To insult, to belittle. / (idiomatic) To reduce the amount of someth...

(databases) A key which is constituted by several fields.