prelims vs front matter

prelims and front matter both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
prelims	Yes	No	No	No
front matter	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, prelims and front matter are synonyms defined as:

prelims and front matter: written matter preceding the main text of a book

prelims (noun)	front matter (noun)
written matter preceding the main text of a book	written matter preceding the main text of a book