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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, 100,000 entries)

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Webster > Letter P > Page 148 of 206.
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Prefecture Pre"fec·ture noun [ Latin praefectura : confer French préfecture .] The office, position, or jurisdiction of a prefect; also, his official residence.

Prefecundation Pre·fec`un·da"tion noun (Physiol.) A term collectively applied to the changes or conditions preceding fecundation, especially to the changes which the ovum undergoes before fecundation.

Prefecundatory Pre`fe·cun"da·to·ry adjective Of or pertaining to prefecundation.

Prefer Pre·fer" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Preferred ; present participle & verbal noun Preferring .] [ French préférer , Latin praeferre ; prae before + ferre to bear or carry. See 1st Bear .] 1. To carry or bring (something) forward, or before one; hence, to bring for consideration, acceptance, judgment, etc.; to offer; to present; to proffer; to address; -- said especially of a request, prayer, petition, claim, charge, etc.

He spake, and to her hand preferred the bowl.

Pope.

Presently prefer his suit to Cæsar.

Shak.

Three tongues prefer strange orisons on high.

Byron. 2. To go before, or be before, in estimation; to outrank; to surpass. [ Obsolete] "Though maidenhood prefer bigamy." Chaucer. 3. To cause to go before; hence, to advance before others, as to an office or dignity; to raise; to exalt; to promote; as, to prefer an officer to the rank of general.

I would prefer him to a better place.

Shak. 4. To set above or before something else in estimation, favor, or liking; to regard or honor before another; to hold in greater favor; to choose rather; -- often followed by to , before , or above .

If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Ps. cxxxvii. 6.

Preferred an infamous peace before a most just war.

Knolles. Preferred stock , stock which takes a dividend before other capital stock; -- called also preference stock and preferential stock . Syn. -- To choose; elect. See Choose .

Preferability Pref`er·a·bil"i·ty noun The quality or state of being preferable; preferableness. J. S. Mill.

Preferable Pref"er·a·ble adjective [ Confer French préférable .] Worthy to be preferred or chosen before something else; more desirable; as, a preferable scheme. Addison.

Preferableness Pref"er·a·ble·ness noun The quality or state of being preferable.

Preferably Pref"er·a·bly adverb In preference; by choice.

To choose Plautus preferably to Terence.

Dennis.

Preference Pref"er·ence noun [ Confer French préférence .] 1. The act of Preferring, or the state of being preferred; the setting of one thing before another; precedence; higher estimation; predilection; choice; also, the power or opportunity of choosing; as, to give him his preference .

Leave the critics on either side to contend about the preference due to this or that sort of poetry.

Dryden.

Knowledge of things alone gives a value to our reasonings, and preference of one man's knowledge over another's.

Locke. 2. That which is preferred; the object of choice or superior favor; as, which is your preference ?

Preferential Pref`er·en"tial adjective Giving, indicating, or having a preference or precedence; as, a preferential claim; preferential shares.

Preferential voting Preferential voting (Political Science) A system of voting, as at primaries, in which the voters are allowed to indicate on their ballots their preference (usually their first and second choices) between two or more candidates for an office, so that if no candidate receives a majority of first choices the one receiving the greatest number of first and second choices together in nominated or elected.

Preferment Pre·fer"ment noun 1. The act of choosing, or the state of being chosen; preference. [ R.]

Natural preferment of the one . . . before the other.

Sir T. Browne. 2. The act of preferring, or advancing in dignity or office; the state of being advanced; promotion.

Neither royal blandishments nor promises of valuable preferment had been spared.

Macaulay. 3. A position or office of honor or profit; as, the preferments of the church.

Preferrer Pre·fer"rer noun One who prefers.

Prefidence Pref"i·dence noun The quality or state of being prefident. [ Obsolete] Baxter.

Prefident Pref"i·dent adjective [ Confer Latin praefidens overconfident. See Pre- , and Confident .] Trusting beforehand; hence, overconfident. [ Obsolete] Baxter.

Prefigurate Pre·fig"u·rate transitive verb [ Latin praefiguratus , past participle See Prefigure .] To prefigure. [ R.] Grafton.

Prefiguration Pre·fig`u·ra"tion noun [ Latin praefiguratio .] The act of prefiguring, or the state of being prefigured.

A variety of prophecies and prefigurations .

Norris.

Prefigurative Pre·fig"ur·a·tive adjective Showing by prefiguration. "The prefigurative atonement." Bp. Horne.

Prefigure Pre·fig"ure transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prefigured ; present participle & verbal noun Prefiguring .] [ French préfigurer , or Latin praefigurare , praefiguratum ; prae before + figurare to figure. See Figure , and confer Prefigurate .] To show, suggest, or announce, by antecedent types and similitudes; to foreshadow. "Whom all the various types prefigured ." South.

Prefigurement Pre·fig"ure·ment noun The act of prefiguring; prefiguration; also, that which is prefigured. Carlyle.

Prefine Pre·fine" transitive verb [ Latin praefinire ; prae before + finire to limit, determine: confer French préfiner .] To limit beforehand. [ Obsolete] Knolles.

Prefinite Pre·fi"nite adjective [ Latin praefinitus , past participle ] Prearranged. [ Obsolete] " Set and prefinite time." Holland.

Prefinition Pref`i·ni"tion noun [ Latin praefinitio .] Previous limitation. [ Obsolete] Fotherby.

Prefix Pre·fix" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prefixed ; present participle & verbal noun Prefixing .] [ Latin praefixus , past participle of praefigere to fix or fasten before; prae before + figere to fix: confer French pr é fix fixed beforehand, determined, pr é fixer to prefix. See Fix.] 1. To put or fix before, or at the beginning of, another thing; as, to prefix a syllable to a word, or a condition to an agreement. 2. To set or appoint beforehand; to settle or establish antecedently. [ Obsolete] " Prefixed bounds. " Locke.

And now he hath to her prefixt a day.

Spenser.

Prefix Pre"fix noun [ Confer French pr é fixe .] That which is prefixed; esp., one or more letters or syllables combined or united with the beginning of a word to modify its signification; as, pre- in pre fix, con- in con jure.

Prefixion Pre·fix"ion noun [ Confer Old French prefixion .] The act of prefixing. [ R.] Bailey.

Prefloration Pre`flo·ra"tion noun [ Prefix pre- + Latin flos , floris , flower.] (Botany) Æstivation.

Prefoliation Pre·fo`li·a"tion noun [ Prefix pre- + Latin folium leaf.] (Botany) Vernation.

Preform Pre·form" transitive verb [ Latin praeformare . See Pre- , and Form .] To form beforehand, or for special ends. "Their natures and preformed faculties. " Shak.

Preformation Pre`for·ma"tion noun (Biol.) An old theory of the preëxistence of germs. Confer Emboîtement .

Preformative Pre·form"a·tive noun A formative letter at the beginning of a word. M. Stuart.

Prefrontal Pre·fron"tal adjective (Anat. & Zoology) Situated in front of the frontal bone, or the frontal region of the skull; ectethmoid, as a certain bone in the nasal capsule of many animals, and certain scales of reptiles and fishes. -- noun A prefrontal bone or scale.

Prefulgency Pre·ful"gen·cy noun [ Latin praefulgens , present participle of praefulgere to shine forth. See Pre- , and Fulgent .] Superior brightness or effulgency. [ R.] Barrow.

Pregage Pre·gage" transitive verb To preëngage. [ Obsolete] Fuller.

Preglacial Pre·gla"cial adjective (Geol.) Prior to the glacial or drift period.

Pregnable Preg"na·ble adjective , [ French prenable . See Impregnable .] Capable of being entered, taken, or captured; expugnable; as, a pregnable fort. [ R.] Cotgrave.

Pregnance Preg"nance noun Pregnancy. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Pregnancy Preg"nan·cy noun 1. The condition of being pregnant; the state of being with young. 2. Figuratively: The quality of being heavy with important contents, issue, significance, etc.; unusual consequence or capacity; fertility. Fuller.

Pregnant Preg"nant adjective [ Latin praegnans , -antis ; prae before + genere , gignere , to beget: confer French prégnant . See Gender , 2d Kin .] 1. Being with young, as a female; having conceived; great with young; breeding; teeming; gravid; preparing to bring forth. 2. Heavy with important contents, significance, or issue; full of consequence or results; weighty; as, pregnant replies. " A pregnant argument." Prynne. " A pregnant brevity." E. Everett. 3. Full of promise; abounding in ability, resources, etc.; as, a pregnant youth. [ Obsolete] Evelyn.

Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.

Shak. Pregnant construction (Rhet.) , one in which more is implied than is said; as, the beasts trembled forth from their dens, that is, came forth trembling with fright.

Pregnant Preg"nant noun A pregnant woman. [ R.] Dunglison.

Pregnant Preg"nant adjective [ French prenant taking. Confer Pregnable .] Affording entrance; receptive; yielding; willing; open; prompt. [ Obsolete] " Pregnant to good pity." Shak.

Pregnantly Preg"nant·ly adverb In a pregnant manner; fruitfully; significantly.

Pregnantly Preg"nant·ly adverb Unresistingly; openly; hence, clearly; evidently. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Pregravate Pre"gra·vate transitive verb [ Latin praegravatus , past participle of praegravare to be heavy upon, from praegravis very heavy.] To bear down; to depress. [ Obsolete] Bp. Hall.

Pregravitate Pre·grav"i·tate intransitive verb To descend by gravity; to sink. [ R.] Boyle.

Pregustant Pre·gus"tant adjective [ Latin praegustans , present participle of praegustare to taste beforehand; prae before + gustare to taste.] Tasting beforehand; having a foretaste. [ R.] Ed. Rev.

Pregustation Pre`gus·ta"tion noun The act of tasting beforehand; foretaste. [ R.] Dr. Walker (1678).

Prehallux Pre·hal"lux noun [ New Latin See Pre- , and Hallux .] (Anat.) An extra first toe, or rudiment of a toe, on the preaxial side of the hallux.

Prehend Pre·hend" transitive verb [ Latin prehendere . See Prehensile .] To lay hold of; to seize. [ Obsolete] Middleton.

Prehensi-ble Pre·hen"si-ble adjective [ Confer French préhensible .] Capable of being seized.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Webster > Letter P > Page 148 of 206.
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