A showing of what a thing will be before it is committed. A preview reduces surprise at the cost of finality.
From pre- (Latin prae, before) and view (Old French vue, from Latin vidēre, to see); a 20th-century cinema term for a showing of what a thing will be before it is finally committed.
A showing of what a thing will be, offered before it is finally committed to, which reduces surprise at the price of not yet being final.