Prevailing to Prick
Prevailing
(Pre*vail"ing), a.
1. Having superior force or influence; efficacious; persuasive. Shak.
Saints shall assist thee with prevailing prayers.
Rowe. 2. Predominant; prevalent; most general; as, the prevailing disease of a climate; a prevailing opinion.
Syn. See Prevalent.
Prevailingly
(Pre*vail"ing*ly), adv. So as to prevail.
Prevailment
(Pre*vail"ment) n. Prevalence; superior influence; efficacy. [Obs.] Shak.
Prevalence
(Prev"a*lence) n. [L. praevalentia: cf. F. prévalence. See Prevail.] The quality or condition
of being prevalent; superior strength, force, or influence; general existence, reception, or practice; wide
extension; as, the prevalence of virtue, of a fashion, or of a disease; the prevalence of a rumor.
The duke better knew what kind of argument were of prevalence with him.
Clarendon. Prevalency
(Prev"a*len*cy) n. See Prevalence.
Prevalent
(Prev"a*lent) a. [L. praevalens, -entis, p. pr. of praevalere. See Prevail.]
1. Gaining advantage or superiority; having superior force, influence, or efficacy; prevailing; predominant; successful; victorious.
Brennus told the Roman embassadors, that prevalent arms were as good as any title.
Sir W. Raleigh. 2. Most generally received or current; most widely adopted or practiced; also, generally or extensively
existing; widespread; prevailing; as, a prevalent observance; prevalent disease.
This was the most received and prevalent opinion.
Woodward. Syn. — Prevailing; predominant; successful; efficacious; powerful. — Prevalent, Prevailing. What customarily
prevails is prevalent; as, a prevalent fashion. What actually prevails is prevailing; as, the prevailing
winds are west. Hence, prevailing is the livelier and more pointed word, since it represents a thing in
action. It is sometimes the stronger word, since a thing may prevail sufficiently to be called prevalent,
and yet require greater strength to make it actually prevailing.
Prevalently
(Prev"a*lent"ly), adv. In a prevalent manner. Prior.
Prevaricate
(Pre*var"i*cate) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Prevaricated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Prevaricating.] [L. praevaricatus,
p. p. of praevaricari to walk crookedly, to collude; prae before + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus straddling,
varus bent. See Varicose.]
1. To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to
shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement.
He prevaricates with his own understanding.
South. 2. (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
3. (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying
it.
Syn. — To evade; equivocate; quibble; shuffle. — Prevaricate, Evade, Equivocate. One who evades
a question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside to some other point. He who equivocate uses
