Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PREJ-U-DI'CIAL, a.

1. Biased or blinded by prejudices; as, a prejudicial eye. [Not in use.] – Hooker.
2. Hurtful; mischievous; injurious; disadvantageous; detrimental; tending to obstruct or impair. A high rate of interest is prejudicial to trade and manufactures. Intemperance is prejudicial to health. His going away the next morning with all his troops, was most prejudicial to the king's affairs. – Clarendon. One of the young ladies reads while the others are at work; so that the learning of the family is not all prejudicial to its manufactures. – Addison.

PREJ-U-DI'CIAL-LY, adv.

Injuriously; disadvantageously.

PREJ-U-DI'CIAL-NESS, n.

The state of being prejudicial; injuriousness.

PREJ'U-DIC-ING, ppr.

Prepossessing; biasing.

PRE-KNOW'LEDGE, n. [prenol'lege.]

Prior knowledge.

PRE'LA-CY, n. [from prelate.]

1. The office or dignity of a prelate. Prelacies may be termed the greater benefices. – Ayliffe.
2. Episcopacy; the order of bishops. How many are there that call themselves protestants, who put prelacy and popery together as terms convertible? – Swift.
3. Bishops collectively. Divers of the reverend prelacy. – Hooker.

PRE'LATE, n. [Fr. prelat; It. prelato; from L. prælatus, præfero.]

An ecclesiastic of the higher order, as an archbishop, bishop or patriarch; a dignitary of the church. – Bacon.

PRE'LATE-SHIP, n.

The office of a prelate. – Harmar.

PRE-LAT'IC, or PRE-LAT'IC-AL, a.

Pertaining to prelates or prelacy; as, prelatical authority.

PRE-LAT'IC-AL-LY, adv.

With reference to prelates. – Morton.

PRE-LA'TION, n. [L. prælatio, præfero.]

Preference; the setting of one above another. [Little used.] – Hale.

PRE'LA-TISM, n.

Prelacy; episcopacy. – Milton.

PRE'LA-TIST, n. [from prelate.]

An advocate for prelacy or the government of the church by bishops; a high churchman. I am an episcopalian, but not a prelatist. – T. Scott.

PRE'LA-TURE, or PRE'LA-TURE-SHIP, n. [Fr. prelature.]

The state or dignity of a prelate. – Dict.

PRE'LA-TY, n.

Episcopacy; prelacy. [Not in use.] – Milton.

PRE-LECT', v.t. [L. prælectus, prælego; præ, before, and lego, to read.]

To read a lecture or public discourse. – Horsley.

PRE-LEC'TION, n. [L. prælectio.]

A lecture or discourse read in public or to a select company. – Hale.

PRE-LEC'TOR, n.

A reader of discourses; a lecturer. – Sheldon.

PRE-LI-BA'TION, n. [from L. prælibo; præ, before, and libo, to taste.]

1. Foretaste; a tasting beforehand or by anticipation. The joy that proceeds from a belief of pardon is a prelibation heavenly bliss.
2. An effusion previous to tasting. Qu. – Johnson.

PRE-LIM'IN-A-RI-LY, adv.

In a preliminary manner.

PRE-LIM'IN-A-RY, a. [Fr. preliminaire; It. preliminare, Sp. preliminar; L. præ, before, and limen, threshhold or limit.]

Introductory; previous; proemial; that precedes the main discourse or business; as, preliminary observations to a discourse or book; preliminary articles to a treaty; preliminary measures.

PRE-LIM'IN-A-RY, n.

That which precedes the main discourse, work, design or business; something previous or preparatory; as, the preliminaries to a negotiation or treaty the preliminaries to a combat. The parties met to settle the preliminaries.

PRE'LUDE, n. [Fr. id.; It. and Sp. preludio; Low L. præludium, from præludo; præ, before, and ludo, to play.]

1. A short flight of music, or irregular air played by a musician before he begins the piece to be played, or before full concert. – Encyc. Young.
2. Something introductory or that shows what is to follow; something preceding which bears some relation or resemblance to that which is to follow. The last Georgic was a good prelude to the Æneis. – Addison.
3. A forerunner; something which indicates a future event.

PRE-LUDE', v.i.

To serve as an introduction to. – Dryden.

PRE-LUDE', v.t.

1. To introduce with a previous performance; to play before; as, to prelude a concert with a lively air.
2. To precede, as an introductory piece; as, a lively air preludes the concert.