Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
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- 95,912
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Pre-ŏc'cu-pan-cy, n. p. 1029Act or right of taking possession before another; as, the property of unoccupied land is vested by preoccupancy.Pre-ōc'cu-pāte, v. t. p. 1029To anticipate; to take before. Bacon. 2. To prepossess; to fill with prejudices. Walton.Pre-ōc/cu-pā/tion, n. p. 1029The act of preoccupying, or the state of being preoccupied; a taking possession before another; prior occupation; prepossession. 2. Anticipation of objections. South.Pre-ŏc'cu-py, v. t. p. 1029To take possession of before another; as, to preoccupy a country or land not before occupied. 2. To prepossess; to occupy by anticipation or prejudices. I think it more respectful to the reader to…Pre-ŏm'i-nāte, v. t. p. 1029To prognosticate; to gather beforehand from omens. Because many ravens were seen when Alexander entered Babylon, they were thought to preominate his death. Browne.Prē/o-pĕr'cu-lar, a. p. 1029(Ichth.) Pertaining to, or situated in, the front part of the operculum. See OPERCULAR.Prē'o-pĕr'cu-lŭm, n. p. 1029(Bot.) The fore-lid or operculum in mosses.Pre'o-pin'ion, n. p. 1029Opinion previously formed; prepossession. Browne.Pre-ōp'tion, n. p. 1029Right of first choice. Stackhouse.Prē′or-dāin′, v. t. p. 1029To ordain or appoint beforehand; to predetermine; to foreordain; as, all things are supposed to be pre-ordained by God.Pre-ôr'di-nance, n. p. 1029Antecedent decree or determination. Shak.Pre-ōr'di-nate, a. p. 1029Foreordained. [Obs.]Pre-ôr′di-nā′tion, n. p. 1029The act of foreordaining; previous determination.Prē-pāl'a-tal, a. p. 1029(Anat.) Just anterior to the palate; as, the prepalatal aperture.Pre-pâr'a-ble, a. p. 1029Capable of being prepared. Boyle.Prĕp'a-rā'tion, n. p. 1029The act of preparing or fitting for a particular purpose, use, service, or condition; previous arrangement or adaptation; as, the preparation of land for a crop of wheat; the preparation of troops…Pre-păr'a-tĭve, a. p. 1029Tending 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-păr'/a-tīve, n. p. 1029That which has the power of preparing, or previously fitting for a purpose; that which prepares. “A preparative unto sermons.” Hooker. 2. That which is done to prepare; preparation. “Necessary…Pre-pār'a-tive-ly, adv. p. 1029By way of preparation.Pre-pār'a-tor, n. p. 1029One who prepares beforehand, as subjects for dissection, specimens for preservation in collections, and the like. Agassiz.Pre-pār'a-to-ry, a. p. 1029Preparing the way for any thing by previous measures of adaptation; antecedent and adapted to what follows; previous; introductory.Pre-pâre', v. t. p. 1029To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application. Our souls not yet prepared for upper light, Till doomsday wander in the shade of night.…Pre-pāre', v. i. p. 1029To make all things ready; to put things in suitable order; as, to prepare for dinner. 2. To make one's self ready; to get ready; to take the necessary previous measures. “Dido preparing to kill…Pre-pāre', n. p. 1029Preparation. [Obs. and rare.] Shak.Pre-pār'ed-ly, adv. p. 1029With suitable previous measures. Shak.Pre-pär'ed-ness, n. p. 1029The state of being prepared or in readiness. South.Pre-pār'er, n. p. 1029One who, or that which, prepares, fits, or makes ready.Pre-pāy', v. t. p. 1029To pay in advance or beforehand, as the postage of a letter.Pre-pāy'ment, n. p. 1029Payment in advance, as of postage.Pre-pënse', a. p. 1029Devised, contrived, or planned beforehand; premeditated; aforethought; — usually placed after the word it qualifies. This has not arisen from any misrepresentation or error prepense. Southey.Pre-pĕnse′, v. t. p. 1029To weigh or consider beforehand. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.Pre-pēnse', v. i. p. 1029To deliberate beforehand. [Obs.]Pre-pĕnse'ly, adv. p. 1029In a premeditated manner.Pre-pŏl'lence or Pre-pŏl'len-cy, n. p. 1029The quality of being prepollent; superiority of power; prevalence. [Rare.] Coventry.Pre-pŏl'lent, a. p. 1029Having superior influence or power; prevailing. [Rare.] Boyle.Pre-pŏn'der, v. t. p. 1029To outweigh; to preponderate. [Obs.] Wotton.Pre-pŏn'der-an-çe or Pre-pŏn'der-an-cy, n. p. 1029The state or quality of being preponderant or preponderating; superiority of weight, influence, or power; an outweighing. “The preponderancy of the greater grounds of probability.” Locke. In a few…Pre-pön'der-ant, a. p. 1029Preponderating; outweighing.Pre-pŏn'der-ant-ly, adv. p. 1029In a preponderant manner; in the main; in the greater degree; chiefly.Pre-pŏn'der-āte, v. t. p. 1029To outweigh; to overpower by weight; to have greater weight than. An inconsiderable weight, by distance from the center of the balance, will preponderate greater magnitudes. Glanville. 2. To…Pre-pôn'der-āte, v. i. p. 1029To 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…Pre-pŏn'der-ā'ting-ly, adv. p. 1029In a preponderating manner; preponderantly.Pre-pōn'der-ā'tion, n. p. 1029The act or state of preponderating, of outweighing any thing, or of inclining to one side.Pre-pōse', v. t. p. 1029To put before. [Obs.] Fuller.Prēp′o-sĭ′tion, n. p. 1029(Gram.) A particle governing and generally placed before a substantive or pronoun, which is put in an oblique case (in English, in the objective), and expressing a relation of this object to the…Prĕp'o-şĭ'tion-al, a. p. 1029Pertaining to, or having the nature or office of, a preposition.Pre-pŏs'i-tive, a. p. 1029Put before; prefixed; as, a prepositive particle.Pre-pŏs'i-tive, n. p. 1029A word, or particle, put before another word.Pre-pŏs'i-tor, n. p. 1029A scholar appointed by the instructor to inspect other scholars; a monitor. Todd.Pre-pŏs'ĭ-tūre, n. p. 1030The office or place of a provost; a provostship.Pre-pos-sĕss’, v. t. p. 1030To preoccupy, as ground or land; to take previous possession of. Dryden. 2. To preoccupy, as the mind or heart, so as to preclude other things; hence, to bias or prejudice; to give a previous…Pre-pos-sĕss'ing, a. p. 1030Tending to invite favor; having power to secure the possession of favor, esteem, or love; as, the countenance, address, and manners of a person are sometimes prepossessing on a first acquaintance.Pre-pos-sĕss'ing-ly, adv. p. 1030In a prepossessing manner.Pre-pos-sĕs'sion, n. p. 1030Preoccupation; prior possession. Hammond. 2. Preoccupation of the mind by an opinion, or impression, already formed; preconceived opinion; previous impression, whether favorable or unfavorable; —…Pre-pos-sĕss’or, n. p. 1030One who prepossesses; one who possesses, or occupies, beforehand or previously.Pre-pŏs'ter-oŭs, a. p. 1030Having that first which ought to be last; inverted in order. The method I take may be censured as preposterous, because I treat last of the antediluvian earth, which was first in the order of nature.…Pre-pŏs'ter-oŭs-ly, adv. p. 1030In a preposterous manner; in a wrong or inverted order; absurdly; foolishly.Pre-pŏs'ter-oŭs-ness, n. p. 1030The quality or state of being preposterous; wrong order or method; absurdity; inconsistency with nature or reason.Pre-pō'ten-cy, n. p. 1030The quality or condition of being prepotent; superior power; predominance. [Obs.] Browne.Pre-pō'tent, a. p. 1030Very powerful. [Obs.] Plaijère.