Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PRE-TYP'I-FI-ED, pp. [from pretypify.]

Antecedently represented by type; prefigured.

PRE-TYP'I-FY, v.t. [pre and typify.]

To prefigure; to exhibit previously in a type. – Pearson.

PRE-TYP'I-FY-ING, ppr.

Prefiguring.

PRE-VAIL, v.i. [Fr. prevaloir; It. prevalere; Sp. prevalcer; L. prævaleo; præ, before, and valeo, to be strong or well. Valeo seems to be from the same root as the Eng. well. The primary sense is to stretch or strain forward, to advance.]

1. To overcome; to gain the victory or superiority; to gain the advantage. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. – Exod. xvii. With over or against. David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. – 1 Sam. xvii. This kingdom could never prevail against the united power of England. – Swift.
2. To be in force; to have effect, power or influence. This custom makes the short-sighted bigots and the warier skeptics, as far as it prevails. – Locke.
3. To be predominant; to extend over with force or effect. The fever prevailed in a great part of the city.
4. To gain or have predominant influence; to operate with effect. These reasons, arguments or motives ought to prevail with all candid men. In this sense, it is followed by with.
5. To persuade or induce; with on or upon. They prevailed on the president to ratify the treaty. It is also followed by with. They could not prevail with the king to pardon the offender. But on is more common in modern practice.
6. To succeed. The general attempted to take the fort by assault, but did not prevail. The most powerful arguments were employed, but they did not prevail.

PRE-VAIL-ED, pp.

Gained advantage; persuaded; succeeded.

PRE-VAIL-ING, ppr.

1. Gaining advantage, superiority or victory; having effect; persuading; succeeding.
2. adj. Predominant; having more influence; prevalent; superior in power. The love of money and the love of power are the prevailing passions of men.
3. Efficacious. Saints shall assist thee with prevailing prayers. – Rowe.
4. Predominant; most general; as, the prevailing disease of a climate; a prevailing opinion. Intemperance is the prevailing vice of many countries.

PRE-VAIL-ING-LY, adv.

So as to prevail or have success.

PRE-VAIL-MENT, n.

Prevalence. [Little used.] – Shak.

PREV'A-LENCE, or PREV'A-LEN-CY, n.

1. Superior strength, influence or efficacy; most efficacious force in producing an effect. The duke better knew what kind of arguments were of prevalence with him. – Clarendon.
2. Predominance; most general reception or practice; as, the prevalence of vice, or of corrupt maxims; the prevalence of opinion or fashion.
3. Most general existence or extension; as, the prevalence of a disease.
4. Success; as, the prevalence of prayer.

PREV'A-LENT, a.

1. Gaining advantage or superiority; victorious. Brennus told the Roman embassadors, that prevalent arms were as good as any title. – Ralegh.
2. Powerful; efficacious; successful; as, prevalent supplications.
3. Predominant; most generally received or current; as, a prevalent opinion. – Woodward.
4. Predominant; most general; extensively existing; as, a prevalent disease.

PREV'A-LENT-LY, adv.

With predominance or superiority; powerfully. The evening star so falls into the main / To rise at morn more prevalently bright. – Prior.

PRE-VAR'I-CATE, v.i. [It. prevaricare; Sp. prevaricar; Fr. prevariquer; L. prævaricor; præ and varico, varicor, to straddle.]

1. To shuttle; to quibble; to shin or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course or from truth; to play foul play. I would think better of himself, than that he would willfully prevaricate. – Stillingfleet.
2. In the civil law, to collude; as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution. – Encyc.
3. In English law, to undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Cowel.

PRE-VAR'I-CATE, v.t.

To pervert; to corrupt; to evade by a quibble. [But in a transitive sense, this word is seldom or never used.]

PRE-VAR'I-CA-TED, pp.

Evaded by a quibble.

PRE-VAR'I-CA-TING, ppr.

Quibbling to evade the truth.

PRE-VAR-I-CA'TION, n.

1. A shuffling or quibbling to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; the practice of some trick for evading what is just or honorable; a deviation from the plain path of truth and fair dealing. Addison.
2. In the civil law, the collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. – Encyc.
3. In common law, a seeming to undertake a thing falsely or deceitfully, for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. – Cowel.
4. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office or commission. – Encyc.

PRE-VAR'I-CA-TOR, n.

1. One that prevaricates; a shuffler; a quibbler.
2. A sham dealer; one who colludes with a defendant in a sham prosecution. – Civil Law.
3. One who abuses his trust.

PRE-VENE, v.t. [L. prævenio; præ, before, and venio, to come.]

Literally, to come before; hence, to hinder. [Not used.] – Philips.

PRE-VEN-IENT, a. [L.præveniens.]

Going before; preceding; hence, preventive; as, prevenient grace. – Milton.

PRE-VENT', v.i.

To come before the usual time. [Not in use.] – Bacon.

PRE-VENT', v.t. [L. prævenio, præ, before, and venio, to come; It. prevenire; Sp. and Fr. prevenir.]

1. To hinder; to stop or intercept the approach, access, or performance of a thing. Foresight and care will prevent many ills and misfortunes in human life. Religion supplies consolation under afflictions which can not be prevented. It is often easier to prevent evils, than to remedy them. [The following significations of the word, formerly used, are obsolete.]
2. To go before; to precede. – Ps. cxix, 148.
3. To take hold on; to seize. – Job xxx, 16.
4. To succor. Ps. lix, 10, and Common Prayer.
5. To anticipate. Their ready guilt preventing thy commands. – Pope.
6. To pre-occupy; to pre-engage. Thou hast prevented us with overtures of love. – K. Charles.

PRE-VENT'A-BLE, a.

That may be prevented or hindered. – Reynolds.

PRE-VENT'ED, pp.

Hindered from happening or taking effect.

PRE-VENT'ER, n.

1. One that goes before. [Not in use.] – Bacon.
2. One that hinders; a hinderer; that which hinders; as, a presenter of evils or of disease.

PRE-VENT'ING, ppr.

1. Going before. [Obs.]
2. Hindering; obviating.