v. t. To render unprepared. [ Obs. ] Hobbes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Lack of preparation. [ Obs. ] Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Neglect or failure to prepare; want of preparation. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being prepared. “Medicine preparable by art.” Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. préparation, L. praeparatio. See Prepare. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of preparing or fitting beforehand for a particular purpose, use, service, or condition; previous arrangement or adaptation; a making ready; as, the preparation of land for a crop of wheat; the preparation of troops for a campaign. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being prepared or made ready; preparedness; readiness; fitness; as, a nation in good preparation for war. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which makes ready, prepares the way, or introduces; a preparatory act or measure. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will show what preparations there were in nature for this dissolution. T. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. That which is prepared, made, or compounded by a certain process or for a particular purpose; a combination. Specifically: (a) Any medicinal substance fitted for use. (b) Anything treated for preservation or examination as a specimen. (c) Something prepared for use in cookery. [ 1913 Webster ]

I wish the chemists had been more sparing who magnify their preparations. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the preparations of cookery, the most volatile parts of vegetables are destroyed. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An army or fleet. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Mus.) The holding over of a note from one chord into the next chord, where it forms a temporary discord, until resolved in the chord that follows; the anticipation of a discordant note in the preceding concord, so that the ear is prepared for the shock. See Suspension. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Accomplishment; qualification. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. préparatif. ] Tending to prepare or make ready; having the power of preparing, qualifying, or fitting; preparatory. [ 1913 Webster ]

Laborious quest of knowledge preparative to this work. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. That which has the power of preparing, or previously fitting for a purpose; that which prepares. “A preparative unto sermons.” Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is done in the way of preparation. “Necessary preparatives for our voyage.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By way of preparation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praeparator. ] One who prepares beforehand, as subjects for dissection, specimens for preservation in collections, etc. Agassiz. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praeparatorius: cf. F. préparatoire. ] Preparing the way for anything by previous measures of adaptation; antecedent and adapted to what follows; introductory; preparative; as, a preparatory school; a preparatory condition. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Prepared p. pr. & vb. n. Preparing. ] [ F. préparer, L. praeparare; prae before + parare to make ready. See Pare. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To fit, adapt, or qualify for a particular purpose or condition; to make ready; to put into a state for use or application; as, to prepare ground for seed; to prepare a lesson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our souls, not yet prepared for upper light. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To procure as suitable or necessary; to get ready; to provide; as, to prepare ammunition and provisions for troops; to prepare ships for defence; to prepare an entertainment. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

That they may prepare a city for habitation. Ps. cvii. 36 [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To fit; adjust; adapt; qualify; equip; provide; form; make; make; ready. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To make all things ready; to put things in order; as, to prepare for a hostile invasion. “Bid them prepare for dinner.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make one's self ready; to get ready; to take the necessary previous measures; as, to prepare for death. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Preparation. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made fit or suitable; adapted; ready; as, prepared food; prepared questions. -- Pre*par"ed*ly adv. Shak. -- Pre*par"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, prepares, fits, or makes ready. Wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Prepaid p. pr. & vb. n. Prepaying. ] To pay in advance, or beforehand; as, to prepay postage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Payment in advance. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Situated in front of, or anterior to, the penis. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. pre + F. penser to think. See Pansy. ] To weigh or consider beforehand; to premeditate. [ Obs. ] Spenser. Sir T. Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To deliberate beforehand. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Pansy, and cf. Prepense, v. t. ] Devised, contrived, or planned beforehand; preconceived; premeditated; aforethought; -- usually placed after the word it qualifies; as, malice prepense. [ 1913 Webster ]

This has not arisen from any misrepresentation or error prepense. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a premeditated manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ L. praepollentia. ] The quality or state of being prepollent; superiority of power; predominance; prevalence. [ R. ] Coventry. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praepollens, p. p. of praepollere to surpass in power; prae before + pollere to be powerful. ] Having superior influence or power; prevailing; predominant. [ R. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Prepollices [ NL. See Pre-, Pollex. ] (Anat.) An extra first digit, or rudiment of a digit, on the preaxial side of the pollex. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>v. t. To preponderate. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Cf. F. prépondérance. ] 1. The quality or state of being preponderant; superiority or excess of weight, influence, or power, etc.; an outweighing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The mind should . . . reject or receive proportionably to the preponderancy of the greater grounds of probability. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

In a few weeks he had changed the relative position of all the states in Europe, and had restored the equilibrium which the preponderance of one power had destroyed. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gun.) The excess of weight of that part of a canon behind the trunnions over that in front of them. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praeponderans, -antis: cf. F. prépondérant. See Preponderate. ] Preponderating; outweighing; overbalancing; -- used literally and figuratively; as, a preponderant weight; of preponderant importance. -- Pre*pon"der*ant*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Preponderated p. pr. & vb. n. Preponderating. ] [ L. praeponderatus, p. p. of praeponderare; prae before + ponderare to weigh, fr., pondus, ponderis, a weight. See Ponder. ] 1. To outweigh; to overpower by weight; to exceed in weight; to overbalance. [ 1913 Webster ]

An inconsiderable weight, by distance from the center of the balance, will preponderate greater magnitudes. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To overpower by stronger or moral power. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To cause to prefer; to incline; to decide. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The desire to spare Christian blood preponderates him for peace. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To exceed in weight; hence, to incline or descend, as the scale of a balance; figuratively, to exceed in influence, power, etc.; hence; to incline to one side; as, the affirmative side preponderated. [ 1913 Webster ]

That is no just balance in which the heaviest side will not preponderate. Bp. Wilkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a preponderating manner; preponderantly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praeponderatio. ] The act or state of preponderating; preponderance; as, a preponderation of reasons. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. préposer; pref. pré- (L. prae before) + poser. See Pose. ] To place or set before; to prefix. [ Obs. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praepositio, fr. praeponere to place before; prae before + ponere to put, place: cf. F. préposition. See Position, and cf. Provost. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Gram.) A word employed to connect a noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word; a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word; -- so called because usually placed before the word with which it is phrased; as, a bridge of iron; he comes from town; it is good for food; he escaped by running. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A proposition; an exposition; a discourse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He made a long preposition and oration. Fabyan. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. prépositionnel. ] Of or pertaining to a preposition; of the nature of a preposition. Early. -- Prep`o*si"tion*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. [ L. praepositivus: cf. F. prépositif. ] (Gram.) Put before; prefixed; as, a prepositive particle. -- n. A prepositive word. Tooke. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. ] A scholar appointed to inspect other scholars; a monitor. Todd. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praepositura. See Preposition, and cf. Provost. ] The office or dignity of a provost; a provostship. Lowth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Prepossessed p. pr. & vb. n. Prepossessing. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To preoccupy, as ground or land; to take previous possession of. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To preoccupy, as the mind or heart, so as to preclude other things; hence, to bias or prejudice; to give a previous inclination to, for or against anything; esp., to induce a favorable opinion beforehand, or at the outset. [ 1913 Webster ]

It created him enemies, and prepossessed the lord general. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive; as, a prepossessing manner. -- Pre`pos*sess"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Preoccupation; prior possession. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Preoccupation of the mind by an opinion, or impression, already formed; preconceived opinion; previous impression; bias; -- generally, but not always, used in a favorable sense; as, the prepossessions of childhood. “The prejudices and prepossessions of the country.” Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Bent; bias; inclination; preoccupancy; prejudgment. See Bent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who possesses, or occupies, previously. R. Brady. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praeposterus; prae before + posterus coming after, latter. See Posterior. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Having that first which ought to be last; inverted in order. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The method I take may be censured as preposterous, because I thus treat last of the antediluvian earth, which was first in the order of nature. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Contrary to nature or reason; not adapted to the end; utterly and glaringly foolish; unreasonably absurd; perverted. “Most preposterous conclusions.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Preposterous ass, that never read so far! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Absurd; perverted; wrong; irrational; foolish; monstrous. See Absurd. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Pre*pos"ter*ous*ly, adv. -Pre*pos"ter*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Prepositor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praepotentia: cf. F. prépotence. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The quality or condition of being prepotent; predominance. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) The capacity, on the part of one of the parents, as compared with the other, to transmit more than his or her own share of characteristics to their offspring. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. praepotens. See Pre-, and Potent. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Very powerful; superior in force, influence, or authority; predominant. Plaifere. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Characterized by prepotency. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To provide beforehand. “The materials preprovided.” Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Situated in front of, or anterior to, the pubis; pertaining to the prepubis. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Pre-, and Pubis. ] (Anat.) A bone or cartilage, of some animals, situated in the middle line in front of the pubic bones. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. prépuce, L. praeputium. ] (Anat.) The foreskin. [ 1913 Webster ]