prevail

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English prevailen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French prevaler, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin praevaleō (“be very able or more able, be superior, prevail”), from prae (“before”) + valeō (“be able or powerful”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈveɪl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪl
• Hyphenation: pre‧vail

Verb

prevail (third-person singular simple present prevails, present participle prevailing, simple past and past participle prevailed)

1. (intransitive) To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others.

   Red colour prevails in the Canadian flag.

   • Template:RQ:Authorized Version, Exodus 17:11

     And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

2. (intransitive) To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence.

   In his day and age, such practices prevailed all over Europe.

3. (intransitive) To succeed in persuading or inducing.

   I prevailed on him to wait.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:

     Jones began to be very importunate with the lady to unmask; and at length having prevailed, there appeared not Mrs Fitzpatrick, but the Lady Bellaston herself.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To avail.

Derived terms

• cooler heads will prevail

Related terms

• prevalence
• prevalent

Translations

To be superior in strength, dominance, influence or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand

• Arabic: يسود (yassod)
• Czech: převládat
• Dutch: overwinnen (nl), domineren (nl), zegevieren (nl),
• French: dominer (fr), prévaloir (fr), l’emporter (fr)
• German: die Vorherrschaft erringen (over über), sich durchsetzen (against gegen)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἰσχύω (iskhúō)

• Italian: prevalere (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Navajo: dah honiłné
• Occitan: prevaler
• Portuguese: prevalecer, predominar (pt)
• Russian: восторжествовать (ru) (vostoržestvovatʹ), одержать победу (oderžatʹ pobedu), госпо́дствовать (ru) (gospódstvovatʹ), доминировать (ru) (dominirovatʹ)
• Spanish: prevalecer (es), vencer (es)

To be current, widespread or predominant; to have currency or prevalence

• Czech: převládat
• Dutch: overheersen (nl)
• French: prédominer (fr), prévaloir (fr)
• German: vorherrschen (de)
• Occitan: prevaler, predominar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: prevalecer, predominar (pt)
• Russian: преобладать (ru) (preobladatʹ), госпо́дствовать (ru) (gospódstvovatʹ), превалировать (ru) (prevalirovatʹ), доминировать (ru) (dominirovatʹ)
• Spanish: prevalecer (es)
• Swedish: förhärska

To succeed in persuading or inducing

• Dutch: overtuigen (nl)
• Finnish: taivutella (fi), suostutella (fi)
• French: persuader (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Occitan: convéncer (oc), persuadir (oc)
• Russian: убеди́ть (ru) (ubedítʹ), уговори́ть (ru) (ugovorítʹ)

References

• “prevail”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “prevail”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• pervial