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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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Predominant Pre·dom"i·nant adjective [ Confer French prédominant . See Predominante .] Having the ascendency over others; superior in strength, influence, or authority; prevailing; as, a predominant color; predominant excellence.

Those help . . . were predominant in the king's mind.

Bacon.

Foul subordination is predominant .

Shak.

Syn. -- Prevalent; superior; prevailing; ascendant; ruling; reigning; controlling; overruling.

Predominantly Pre·dom"i·nant·ly adverb In a predominant manner.

Predominate Pre·dom"i·nate intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Predominated ; present participle & verbal noun Predominating .] [ Prefix pre- + dominate : confer French prédominer .] To be superior in number, strength, influence, or authority; to have controlling power or influence; to prevail; to rule; to have the mastery; as, love predominated in her heart.

[ Certain] rays may predominate over the rest.

Sir. I. Newton.

Predominate Pre·dom"i·nate transitive verb To rule over; to overpower. [ R.]

Predomination Pre·dom`i·na"tion noun [ Confer French prédomination .] The act or state of predominating; ascendency; predominance. W. Browne.

Predoom Pre·doom" transitive verb To foredoom.

Predorsal Pre·dor"sal adjective (Anat.) Situated in front of the back; immediately in front, or on the ventral side the dorsal part of the vertebral column.

Predy Pre"dy adjective [ Confer French prêt ready.] Cleared and ready for engagement, as a ship. Smart.

Preedy Preed"y adverb With ease. [ Prov. Eng.]

Preef Preef noun Proof. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Preëlect Pre`ë·lect" transitive verb To elect beforehand.

Preëlection Pre`ë·lec"tion noun Election beforehand.

Preëminence Pre·ëm"i·nence noun [ French prééminence , Latin praeeminentia . See Preëminent .] The quality or state of being preëminent; superiority in prominence or in excellence; distinction above others in quality, rank, etc.; rarely, in a bad sense, superiority or notoriety in evil; as, preëminence in honor.

The preëminence of Christianity to any other religious scheme.

Addison.

Painful preëminence ! yourself to view
Above life's weakness, and its comforts too.

Pope.

Beneath the forehead's walled preëminence .

Lowell.

Preëminent Pre·ëm"i·nent adjective [ Latin praeminens , -entis , present participle praeminere to be prominent, to surpass: confer French prééminent . See Pre- , and Eminent .] Eminent above others; prominent among those who are eminent; superior in excellence; surpassing, or taking precedence of, others; rarely, surpassing others in evil, or in bad qualities; as, preëminent in guilt.

In goodness and in power preëminent .

Milton.

Preëminently Pre·ëm"i·nent·ly adverb In a preëminent degree.

Preëmploy Pre`ëm·ploy transitive verb To employ beforehand. " Preëmployed by him." Shak.

Preëmpt Pre·ëmpt" transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Preëmpted ; present participle & verbal noun Preëmpting .] [ See Preëmption .] To settle upon (public land) with a right of preemption, as under the laws of the United States; to take by preëmption.

Preëmption Pre·ëmp"tion noun [ Prefix pre- + emption : confer French préemption . See Redeem .] The act or right of purchasing before others. Specifically: (a) The privilege or prerogative formerly enjoyed by the king of buying provisions for his household in preference to others. [ Eng.] (b) The right of an actual settler upon public lands (particularly those of the United States) to purchase a certain portion at a fixed price in preference to all other applicants. Abbott.

Preëmptioner Pre·ëmp"tion·er noun One who holds a prior right to purchase certain public land. Abbott.

Preëmptive Pre·ëmp"tive adjective Of or pertaining to preëmption; having power to preëmpt; preëmpting.

Preëmptor Pre·ëmpt"or noun [ Confer Latin praeemptor .] One who preëmpts; esp., one who preëmpts public land.

Preëmptory Pre·ëmpt"o·ry adjective Pertaining to preëmption.

Preen Preen noun [ Anglo-Saxon preón a clasp, bodkin; akin to Dutch priem punch, bodkin, awl, German pfriem , Icelandic prjōnn a knitting needle, pin, Danish preen a bodkin, punch.] A forked tool used by clothiers in dressing cloth.

Preen Preen transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Preened ; present participle & verbal noun Preening .] [ See Preen , noun ; or confer Prune .] 1. To dress with, or as with, a preen; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers; -- said of birds. Derham.

2. To trim up, as trees. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Preëngage Pre`ën·gage" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Preëngaged ; present participle & verbal noun Preëngaging .] To engage by previous contract; to bind or attach previously; to preoccupy.

But he was preëngaged by former ties.

Dryden.

Preëngagement Pre`ën·gage"ment noun Prior engagement, obligation, or attachment, as by contract, promise, or affection.

My preëngagements to other themes were not unknown to those for whom I was to write.

Boyle.

Preërect Pre`ë·rect" transitive verb To erect beforehand.

Prees Prees noun Press; throng. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Preëstablish Pre`ës·tab"lish transitive verb To establish beforehand.

Preëstablishment Pre`ës·tab"lish·ment noun Settlement beforehand.

Preëternity Pre`ë·ter"ni·ty noun Infinite previous duration. [ R.] "The world's preëternity ." Cudworth.

Preëxamination Pre`ëx·am`i·na"tion noun Previous examination.

Preëxamine Pre`ëx·am"ine transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Preëxamined ; present participle & verbal noun Preëxamining .] To examine beforehand.

Preëxist Pre`ëx·ist" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Preëxisted ; present participle & verbal noun Preëxisting .] To exist previously; to exist before something else.

Preëxistence Pre`ëx·ist"ence noun 1. Existence in a former state, or previous to something else.

Wisdom declares her antiquity and preëxistence to all the works of this earth.

T. Burnet.

2. Existence of the soul before its union with the body; -- a doctrine held by certain philosophers. Addison.

Preëxistency Pre`ëx·ist"en·cy noun Preëxistence. [ Obsolete]

Preëxistent Pre`ëx·ist"ent adjective Existing previously; preceding existence; as, a preëxistent state. Pope.

Preëxistentism Pre`ëx·ist"ent·ism noun (Philos.) The theory of a preëxistence of souls before their association with human bodies. Emerson.

Preëxistimation Pre`ëx·is`ti·ma"tion noun Previous esteem or estimation. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Preëxpectation Pre·ëx`pec·ta"tion noun Previous expectation.

Preface Pref"ace noun [ French préface ; confer Spanish prefacio , prefacion , Italian prefazio , prefazione ; all from Latin praefatio , from praefari to speak or say beforehand; prae before + fari , fatus , to speak. See Fate .] 1. Something spoken as introductory to a discourse, or written as introductory to a book or essay; a proem; an introduction, or series of preliminary remarks.

This superficial tale
Is but a preface of her worthy praise.

Shak.

Heaven's high behest no preface needs.

Milton.

2. (R. C. Ch.) The prelude or introduction to the canon of the Mass. Addis & Arnold.

Proper preface (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) , a portion of the communion service, preceding the prayer of consecration, appointed for certain seasons.

Syn. -- Introduction; preliminary; preamble; proem; prelude; prologue.

Preface Pref"ace transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prefaced ; present participle & verbal noun Prefacing .] To introduce by a preface; to give a preface to; as, to preface a book discourse.

Preface Pref"ace intransitive verb To make a preface. Jer. Taylor.

Prefacer Pref"a·cer noun The writer of a preface.

Prefatorial Pref`a·to"ri·al adjective Prefatory.

Prefatorily Pref"a·to·ri·ly adverb In a prefatory manner; by way of preface.

Prefatory Pref"a·to·ry adjective Pertaining to, or of the nature of, a preface; introductory to a book, essay, or discourse; as, prefatory remarks.

That prefatory addition to the Creed.

Dryden.

Prefect Pre"fect noun [ Latin praefectus , from praefectus , past participle of praeficere to set over; prae before + facere to make: confer French préfet .] 1. A Roman officer who controlled or superintended a particular command, charge, department, etc.; as, the prefect of the aqueducts; the prefect of a camp, of a fleet, of the city guard, of provisions; the pretorian prefect , who was commander of the troops guarding the emperor's person.

2. A superintendent of a department who has control of its police establishment, together with extensive powers of municipal regulation. [ France] Brande & C.

3. In the Greek and Roman Catholic churches, a title of certain dignitaries below the rank of bishop.

Apostolic prefect (R. C. Ch.) , the head of a mission, not of episcopal rank. Shipley.

Prefectorial Pre`fec·to"ri·al adjective Of or pertaining to a prefect.

Prefectship Pre"fect·ship noun The office or jurisdiction of a prefect.

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