Prerogative Pre·rog"a·tive noun [ French prérogative , from Latin praerogativa precedence in voting, preference, privilege, from praerogativus that is asked before others for his opinion, that votes before or first, from praerogare to ask before another; prae before + rogare to ask. See Rogation .]

1. An exclusive or peculiar privilege; prior and indefeasible right; fundamental and essential possession; -- used generally of an official and hereditary right which may be asserted without question, and for the exercise of which there is no responsibility or accountability as to the fact and the manner of its exercise.

The two faculties that are the prerogative of man -- the powers of abstraction and imagination.

I. Taylor.

An unconstitutional exercise of his prerogative .

Macaulay.

2. Precedence; preëminence; first rank. [ Obsolete]

Then give me leave to have prerogative .

Shak.

» The term came into general use in the conflicts between the Crown and Parliaments of Great Britain, especially in the time of the Stuarts.

Prerogative Court (Eng. Law) , a court which formerly had authority in the matter of wills and administrations, where the deceased left bona notabilia , or effects of the value of five pounds, in two or more different dioceses. Blackstone. -- Prerogative office , the office in which wills proved in the Prerogative Court were registered.

Syn. -- Privilege; right. See Privilege .

Prerogatived Pre·rog"a·tived adjective Endowed with a prerogative, or exclusive privilege. [ R.] Shak.

Prerogatively Pre·rog"a·tive·ly adverb By prerogative.

Presage Pre"sage noun [ French présage , Latin praesagium , from praesagire . See Presage , transitive verb ]

1. Something which foreshows or portends a future event; a prognostic; an omen; an augury. "Joy and shout - - presage of victory." Milton.

2. Power to look the future, or the exercise of that power; foreknowledge; presentiment.

If there be aught of presage in the mind.

Milton.

Syn. -- Prognostic; omen; token; sign; presentiment.

Presage Pre·sage" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Presaged (-sājd"); present participle & verbal noun Presaging . ] [ French présager , Latin praesagire : prae before + sagire to perceive acutely or sharply. See Sagacious .]

1. To have a presentiment of; to feel beforehand; to foreknow.

2. To foretell; to predict; to foreshow; to indicate.

My dreams presage some joyful news at hand.

Shak.

Presage Pre·sage" intransitive verb To form or utter a prediction; -- sometimes used with of . Dryden.

Presageful Pre·sage"ful adjective Full of presages; ominous.

Dark in the glass of some presageful mood.

Tennyson.

Presagement Pre·sage"ment noun

1. The act or art of presaging; a foreboding. [ R.] Sir T. Browne.

2. That which is presaged, or foretold. [ R.] "Ominous presagement before his end. " Sir H. Wotton.

Presager Pre·sa"ger noun One who, or that which, presages; a foreteller; a foreboder. Shak.

Presagious Pre·sa"gious adjective Foreboding; ominous. [ Obsolete]

Presbyope Pres"by·ope noun (Medicine) One who has presbyopia; a farsighted person.

Presbyopia Pres`by·o"pi·a [ New Latin , from Greek ... old, noun , an old man + ..., ..., the eye.] (Medicine) A defect of vision consequent upon advancing age. It is due to rigidity of the crystalline lens, which produces difficulty of accommodation and recession of the near point of vision, so that objects very near the eyes can not be seen distinctly without the use of convex glasses. Called also presbytia .

Presbyopic Pres`by·op"ic adjective Affected by presbyopia; also, remedying presbyopia; farsighted.

Presbyopy Pres"by·o`py noun [ Confer French presbyopie .] See Presbyopia .

Presbyte Pres"byte noun [ Greek ... an old man.] Same as Presbyope .

Presbyter Pres"by·ter noun [ Latin an elder, from Greek .... See Priest .]

1. An elder in the early Christian church. See 2d Citation under Bishop , noun , 1.

2. (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) One ordained to the second order in the ministry; -- called also priest .

I rather term the one sort presbyter than priest.

Hooker.

New presbyter is but old priest writ large.

Milton.

3. (Presbyterian Ch.) A member of a presbytery whether lay or clerical.

4. A Presbyterian. [ Obsolete] Hudibras.

Presbyteral Pres·byt"er·al adjective Of or pertaining to a presbyter or presbytery; presbyterial.

Presbyterate Pres·byt"er·ate noun [ Latin presbyteratus : confer French presbytérat .] A presbytery; also, presbytership. Heber.

Presbyteress Pres"by·ter·ess noun A female presbyter. Bale.

Presbyterial Pres`by·te"ri·al adjective [ Confer French presbytéral .] Presbyterian. " Presbyterial government." Milton.

Presbyterian Pres`by·te"ri·an adjective [ Confer French presbytérien .] Of or pertaining to a presbyter, or to ecclesiastical government by presbyters; relating to those who uphold church government by presbyters; also, to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of a communion so governed.

Presbyterian Pres`by·te"ri·an noun [ Confer French presbytérien .] One who maintains the validity of ordination and government by presbyters; a member of the Presbyterian church.

Reformed Presbyterians . See Cameronian .

Presbyterianism Pres`by·te"ri·an·ism noun [ Confer French presbytérianisme .] That form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively.

Presbyterium Pres`by·te"ri·um noun [ Latin ] (Architecture) Same as Presbytery , 4.

Presbytership Pres"by·ter·ship noun The office or station of a presbyter; presbyterate.

Presbytery Pres"by·ter·y noun ; plural Presbyteries . [ Latin presbyterium , Greek .... See Presbyter , and confer Presbyterium .]

1. A body of elders in the early Christian church.

2. (Presbyterian Ch.) A judicatory consisting of all the ministers within a certain district, and one layman, who is a ruling elder, from each parish or church, commissioned to represent the church in conjunction with the pastor. This body has a general jurisdiction over the churches under its care, and next below the provincial synod in authority.

3. The Presbyterian religion of polity. [ R.] Tatler.

4. (a) (Architecture) That part of the church reserved for the officiating priest. (b) The residence of a priest or clergyman. Gwilt.

Presbytia Pres·byt"i·a noun [ New Latin See Presbyte .] (Medicine) Presbyopia.

Presbytic Pres·byt"ic adjective (Medicine) Same as Presbyopic .

Presbytism Pres"byt·ism noun Presbyopia.

Prescapula Pre·scap"u·la noun [ New Latin ] (Anat.) The part of the scapula in front of, or above, the spine, or mesoscapula.

Prescapular Pre·scap"u·lar adjective (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the prescapula; supraspinous.

Prescience Pre"sci·ence (prē"shĭ* e ns or - sh e ns; 277) noun [ French prescience , Latin praescientia . See Prescient .] Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight.

God's certain prescience of the volitions of moral agents.

J. Edwards.

Prescient Pre"sci·ent (prē"shĭ* e nt or - sh e nt) adjective [ Latin praesciens , - entis , present participle of praescire to foreknow; prae before + scire to know: confer French prescient . See Science .] Having knowledge of coming events; foreseeing; conscious beforehand. Pope.

Henry . . . had shown himself sensible, and almost prescient , of this event.

Bacon.

Presciently Pre"sci·ent·ly adverb With prescience or foresight.

Prescind Pre·scind" (pre*sĭnd") transitive verb [ Latin praescindere to cut off in front; prae before + scindere to cut asunder: confer French prescinder .]

1. To cut off; to abstract. [ Obsolete] Norris.

2. (Metaph.) To consider by a separate act of attention or analysis. Sir W. Hamilton.

Prescindent Pre·scind"ent adjective [ Latin praescius ; prae before + scius knowing, from scire to know.] Cutting off; abstracting. [ R.] Cheyne.

Prescious Pre"scious (prē"shŭs) adjective [ Latin praescius ; prae before + scius knowing, from scire to know.] Foreknowing; having foreknowledge; as, prescious of ills. [ R.] Dryden.

Prescribe Pre·scribe" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prescribed ; p. pr & verbal noun Prescribing .] [ Latin praescribere , praescriptum ; prae before + scriebe to write. See Scribe .]

1. To lay down authoritatively as a guide, direction, or rule of action; to impose as a peremptory order; to dictate; to appoint; to direct.

Prescribe not us our duties.

Shak.

Let streams prescribe their fountains where to run.

Dryden.

2. (Medicine) To direct, as a remedy to be used by a patient; as, the doctor prescribed quinine.

Syn. -- To appoint; order; command; dictate; ordain; institute; establish.

Prescribe Pre·scribe" intransitive verb 1. To give directions; to dictate.

A forwardness to prescribe to their opinions.

Locke.

2. To influence by long use [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

3. (Medicine) To write or to give medical directions; to indicate remedies; as, to prescribe for a patient in a fever.

4. (Law) To claim by prescription; to claim a title to a thing on the ground of immemorial use and enjoyment, that is, by a custom having the force of law.

Prescriber Pre·scrib"er noun One who prescribes.

Prescript Pre"script adjective [ Latin praescriptus , past participle of praescribere : confer French prescrit . See Prescribe .] Directed; prescribed. " A prescript from of words." Jer. Taylor.

Prescript Pre"script noun [ Latin praescriptum : confer Old French prescript .]

1. Direction; precept; model prescribed. Milton.

2. A medical prescription. [ Obsolete] Bp. Fell.

Prescriptibility Pre·scrip`ti·bil"i·ty noun The quality or state of being prescriptible. Story.

Prescriptible Pre·scrip"ti·ble (pre*skrĭp"tĭ*b'l) adjective [ Confer French prescriptible .] Depending on, or derived from, prescription; proper to be prescribed. Grafton.

Prescription Pre·scrip"tion (-shŭn) noun [ French prescription , Latin praescriptio , an inscription, preface, precept, demurrer, prescription (in sense 3), from praescribere . See Prescribe .]

1. The act of prescribing, directing, or dictating; direction; precept; also, that which is prescribed.

2. (Medicine) A direction of a remedy or of remedies for a disease, and the manner of using them; a medical recipe; also, a prescribed remedy.

3. (Law) A prescribing for title; the claim of title to a thing by virtue of immemorial use and enjoyment; the right or title acquired by possession had during the time and in the manner fixed by law. Bacon.

That profound reverence for law and prescription which has long been characteristic of Englishmen.

Macaulay.

» Prescription differs from custom , which is a local usage, while prescription is personal, annexed to the person only. Prescription only extends to incorporeal rights, such as aright of way, or of common. What the law gives of common rights is not the subject of prescription . Blackstone . Cruise . Kent . In Scotch law, prescription is employed in the sense in which limitation is used in England and America, namely, to express that operation of the lapse of time by which obligations are extinguished or title protected. Sir T . Craig . Erskine .

Prescriptive Pre·scrip"tive adjective [ Latin praescriptivus of a demurrer or legal exception.] (Law) Consisting in, or acquired by, immemorial or long-continued use and enjoyment; as, a prescriptive right of title; pleading the continuance and authority of long custom.

The right to be drowsy in protracted toil has become prescriptive .

J. M. Mason.

Prescriptively Pre·scrip"tive·ly adverb By prescription.

Prescutum Pre·scu"tum noun ; plural Prescuta [ New Latin See Præ- , and Scutum .] (Zoology) The first of the four pieces composing the dorsal part, or tergum, of a thoracic segment of an insect. It is usually small and inconspicuous.

Preseance Pre"se·ance noun [ French préséance . See Preside .] Priority of place in sitting. [ Obsolete] Carew.

Preselect Pre`se·lect" transitive verb To select beforehand.

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