preparatory activity; warm-up; practice run
Refers to a preliminary activity done to prepare for the main event, such as a rehearsal, warm-up exercise, or trial run. Often used in contexts like sports, performances, or meetings.
We did a light practice as a warm-up before the real performance.
I reviewed the materials as a preparatory activity for the meeting.
Compound of 下 (した, 'preliminary') and 慣らし (ならし, 'accustoming'), from the verb 慣らす (ならす, 'to accustom'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common pattern of forming nouns from verb stems.