The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Foreword \Fore"word`\, n.
   A preface. --Furnvall.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

foreword
    n 1: a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
         [syn: foreword, preface, prolusion]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

98 Moby Thesaurus words for "foreword":
   acknowledgments, anteriority, avant-propos, back, back matter,
   bastard title, bibliography, bold front, brave face, brave front,
   breakthrough, catch line, catchword, colophon, contents,
   contents page, copyright page, dedication, display, endleaf,
   endpaper, endsheet, errata, exordium, facade, face, facet, facia,
   flyleaf, folio, fore, fore edge, forefront, foreground, forehand,
   foreland, forepart, forequarter, foreside, front, front elevation,
   front man, front matter, front page, front view, frontage, frontal,
   frontier, frontispiece, half-title page, head, heading, imprint,
   index, innovation, inscription, introduction, lap, leaf, leap,
   makeup, obverse, overture, page, postulate, preamble, preface,
   prefix, prefixture, preliminaries, preliminary, prelude, premise,
   presupposition, priority, proem, prolegomena, prolegomenon,
   prolepsis, prologue, proscenium, protasis, recto, reverso,
   running title, signature, subtitle, table of contents, tail, text,
   title, title page, trim size, type page, verse, verso, voluntary,
   window dressing