Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PREP-A-RA'TION, n. [L. præparatio. See Prepare.]

1. The act or operation of preparing or fitting for a particular purpose, use, service or condition; as, the preparation of land for a crop of wheat; the preparation of troops for a campaign; the preparation of a nation for war; the preparation of men for future happiness. Preparation is intended to prevent evil or secure good.
2. Previous measures of adaptation. I will show what preparations there were in nature for this dissolution. – Burnet.
3. Ceremonious introduction. [Unusual.] – Shak.
4. That which is prepared, made or compounded for a particular purpose. I wish the chimists had been more sparing, who magnify their preparations. – Brown.
5. The state of being prepared or in readiness; as, a nation in good preparation for attack or defense.
6. Accomplishment; qualification. [Not in use.] – Shak.
7. In pharmacy, any medicinal substance fitted for the use of the patient. – Encyc.
8. In anatomy, the parts of animal bodies prepared and preserved for anatomical uses. – Encyc. Preparation of dissonances, in music, is their disposition in harmony in such a manner that by something congenial in what precedes, they may be rendered less harsh to the ear than they would be without such preparation. – Encyc. Preparation of medicines, the process of fitting any substance for use in the art of healing.

PRE-PAR'A-TIVE, a. [It. preparativo; Fr. preparatif.]

Tending to prepare or make ready; having the power of preparing, qualifying or fitting for any thing; preparatory. He spent much time in quest of knowledge preparative to this work. – South.

PRE-PAR'A-TIVE, n.

1. That which has the power of preparing or previously fitting for a purpose; that which prepares. Resolvedness that sin can with no reason be imagined a preparative to rehabilitation. – Decay of Peity.
2. That which is done to prevent an evil or secure some good. The miseries we suffer may be preparative of future blessings. – K. Charles.
3. Preparation; as, to make the necessary preparatives for voyage. – Dryden.

PRE-PAR'A-TIVE-LY, adv.

By way of preparation. – Hale.

PRE-PAR'A-TO-RY, a. [It. and Sp. preparatorio; Fr. preparatoire.]

1. Previously necessary; useful or qualifying; preparing the way for any thing by previous measures of adaptation. The practice of virtue and piety is preparatory to the happiness of heaven.
2. Introductory; previous; antecedent and adapted to what follows. – Hale.

PRE-PARE, n.

Preparation. [Not in use.] – Shak.

PRE-PARE, v.i.

1. To make all things ready; to put things in suitable order; as, prepare for dinner. – Shak.
2. To take the necessary previous measures. Dido preparing to kill herself. – Peacham.
3. To make one's self ready. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. – Amos iv.

PRE-PARE, v.t. [Fr. preparer; It. preparare; Sp. and Port. preparar; from L. præparar; præ and paro; Russ. ubirayu; W. parodi. The L. paro is probably the Shemitic ברא, بَرَأ, to create or bring forth, coinciding with English bear; and from the L. are derived Fr. parer, Sp. and Port. parar, It. parare. The sense of prepare is derived from many kinds of actions. See ברא in the Introduction.]

1. In a general sense, to fit, adapt or qualify for a particular purpose, end, use, service or state, by any means whatever. We prepare ground for seed by tillage; we prepare cloth for use by dressing; we prepare medicines by pulverization, mixture, &c.; we prepare young men for college by previous instruction; men are prepared for professions by suitable study; holiness of heart as necessary to prepare men for the enjoyment of happiness with holy beings.
2. To make ready; as, to prepare the table for entertaining company.
3. To provide; to procure as suitable; as, to prepare arms, ammunition and provisions for troops; to prepare ships for defense. Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. – 2 Sam. xv.
4. To set; to establish. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens. – Ps. ciii.
5. To appoint. It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. – Matth. xx.
6. To guide, direct or establish. – 1 Chron. xxix.

PRE-PAR-ED, pp.

Fitted; adapted; made suitable; made ready; provided.

PRE-PAR-ED-LY, adv.

With suitable previous measures. – Shak.

PRE-PAR-ED-NESS, n.

The state of being prepared or in readiness. – South.

PRE-PAR-ER, n.

1. One that prepares, fits or makes ready.
2. One that provides.
3. That which fits or makes suitable; as, certain manures are preparers of land for particular crops. – Mortimer.

PRE-PAR-ING, ppr.

Fitting; adapting; making ready providing.

PRE-PENSE, a. [prepens'; L. præpensus, præpendeo; præ and pendeo, to incline or hang down.]

Preconceived; premeditated; aforethought. Malice prepense is necessary to constitute murder. – Blackstone.

PRE-PENSE, v.i. [prepens'.]

To deliberate beforehand. [Not used.] – Spenser.

PRE-PENSE, v.t. [prepens'. supra.]

To weigh or consider beforehand. [Not used.] – Elyot.

PRE-PENS'ED, pp. [or a.]

Previously conceived; premeditated. [Little used.] [See Prepense.]

PRE-POL'LENCE, or PRE-POL'LEN-CY, n. [L. præpollens, præpolleo; præ and polleo.]

Prevalence; superiority of power. – Coventry.

PRE-POL'LENT, a.

Having superior gravity or power; prevailing. – Boyle.

PRE-POND'ER, v.t. [See Preponderate.]

To outweigh. [Not used.] – Wotton.

PRE-POND'ER-ANCE, or PRE-POND'ER-AN-CY, n. [See Preponderate.]

1. An outweighing; superiority of weight. The least preponderance of weight on one side of a ship or boat will make it incline or heel.
2. Superiority of power, force or weight; in a figurative sense; as, a preponderance of evidence. – Locke.

PRE-POND'ER-ANT, a.

Outweighing. – Reid.

PRE-POND'ER-ATE, v.i.

1. To exceed in weight; hence, to incline or descend, as the scale of a balance. That is no just balance in which the heaviest side will not preponderate. – Wilkins.
2. To exceed in influence or power; hence, to incline to one side. By putting every argument on one side and the other, into the balance, we must form a judgment which side preponderates. – Watts.

PRE-POND'ER-ATE, v.t. [L. præpondero; præ, before, and pondero, to weigh.]

1. To outweigh; to overpower by weight. An inconsiderable weight, by distance from the center of the balance, will preponderate greater magnitudes. – Granville.
2. To overpower by stronger influence or moral power.

PRE-POND'ER-A-TED, pp.

Exceeded in weight.