Chapter XXX: Part 30

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.

I wish the chemists had been more sparing who magnify their
preparations.

Sir T. Browne.

In the preparations of cookery, the most volatile parts of
vegetables are destroyed.

Arbuthnot.

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

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.

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

Pre*par"a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈparatif.] Tending to prepare or make ready; having the power of preparing, qualifying, or fitting; preparatory.

Laborious quest of knowledge preparative to this work.

South.

Pre*par"a*tive, n.

1. That 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 in the way of preparation. "Necessary preparatives for our voyage." Dryden.

Pre*par"a*tive*ly, adv. By way of preparation.

Pre*par"a*tor (?), n. [L. praeparator.] One who prepares beforehand, as subjects for dissection, specimens for preservation in collections, etc. Agassiz.

Pre*par"a*to*ry (?), a. [L. praeparatorius: cf. F. prÈparatoire.] 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.

Pre*pare" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prepare&?; (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Preparing.] [F. prÈparer, L. praeparare; prae before + parare to make ready. See Pare.]

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.

Our souls, not yet prepared for upper light.

Dryden.

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.

That they may prepare a city for habitation.

Ps. cvii. 36

Syn. -- To fit; adjust; adapt; qualify; equip; provide; form; make; make; ready.

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Pre*pare" (&?;), 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.

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

Pre*pare", n. Preparation. [Obs.] Shak.

Pre*pared" (?), a. Made fit or suitable; adapted; ready; as, prepared food; prepared questions. -- Pre*par"ed*ly (#), adv. Shak. -- Pre*par"ed*ness, n.

Pre*par"er (?), n. One who, or that which, prepares, fits, or makes ready. Wood.

Pre*pay" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prepaid (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prepaying.] To pay in advance, or beforehand; as, to prepay postage.

Pre*pay"ment (?), n. Payment in advance.

Pre*pe"ni*al (?), a. (Anat.) Situated in front of, or anterior to, the penis.

Pre*pense" (?), v. t. [Pref. pre + F. penser to think. See Pansy.] To weigh or consider beforehand; to premeditate. [Obs.] Spenser. Sir T. Elyot.

Pre*pense", v. i. To deliberate beforehand. [Obs.]

Pre*pense", 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.

This has not arisen from any misrepresentation or error prepense.

Southey.

Pre*pense"ly, adv. In a premeditated manner.

{ Pre*pol"lence (?), Pre*pol"len*cy (?), } n. [L. praepollentia.] The quality or state of being prepollent; superiority of power; predominance; prevalence. [R.] Coventry.

Pre*pol"lent (?), 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.

||Pre*pol"lent (?), n.; pl. Prepollices (#). [NL. See Pre-, Pollex.] ||(Anat.) An extra first digit, or rudiment of a digit, on the preaxial ||side of the pollex.

Pre*pon"der (?) v. t. To preponderate. [Obs.]

{ Pre*pon"der*ance (?), Pre*pon"der*an*cy (?), } n. [Cf. F. prÈpondÈrance.] 1. The quality or state of being preponderant; superiority or excess of weight, influence, or power, etc.; an outweighing.

The mind should . . . reject or receive proportionably to the
preponderancy of the greater grounds of probability.

Locke.

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.

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

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

Pre*pon"der*ate (?), 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.

An inconsiderable weight, by distance from the center of the
balance, will preponderate greater magnitudes.

Glanvill.

2. To overpower by stronger or moral power.

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

The desire to spare Christian blood preponderates him for peace.

Fuller.

Pre*pon"der*ate, 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.

That is no just balance in which the heaviest side will not
preponderate.

Bp. Wilkins.

Pre*pon"der*a`ting*ly (?), adv. In a preponderating manner; preponderantly.

Pre*pon`der*a"tion (?), n. [L. praeponderatio.] The act or state of preponderating; preponderance; as, a preponderation of reasons. I. Watts.

Pre*pose" (?), v. t. [F. prÈposer; pref. prÈ- (L. prae before) + poser. See Pose.] To place or set before; to prefix. [Obs.] Fuller.

Prep`o*si"tion (?), n. [L. praepositio, fr. praeponere to place before; prae before + ponere to put, place: cf. F. prÈposition. See Position, and cf. Provost.]

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.

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

He made a long preposition and oration.

Fabyan.

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

Pre*pos"i*tive (?), a. [L. praepositivus: cf. F. prÈpositif.] (Gram.) Put before; prefixed; as, a prepositive particle. -- n. A prepositive word. Tooke.

||Pre*pos"i*tor (?), n. [NL.] A scholar appointed to inspect other ||scholars; a monitor. Todd.

Pre*pos"i*ture (?), n. [L. praepositura. See Preposition, and cf. Provost.] The office or dignity of a provost; a provostship. Lowth.

Pre`pos*sess" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prepossessed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Prepossessing.]

1. To 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 inclination to, for or against anything; esp., to induce a favorable opinion beforehand, or at the outset.

It created him enemies, and prepossessed the lord general.

Evelyn.

Pre`pos*sess"ing (?), a. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive; as, a prepossessing manner. -- Pre`pos*sess"ing*ly, adv.

Pre`pos*ses"sion (?), n.

1. Preoccupation; prior possession. Hammond.

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.

Syn. -- Bent; bias; inclination; preoccupancy; prejudgment. See Bent.

Pre`*pos*sess"or (?), n. One who possesses, or occupies, previously. R. Brady.

Pre*pos"ter*ous (?), a.[L. praeposterus; prae before + posterus coming after, latter. See Posterior.]

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

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.

2. Contrary to nature or reason; not adapted to the end; utterly and glaringly foolish; unreasonably absurd; perverted. "Most preposterous conclusions." Shak.

Preposterous ass, that never read so far!

Shak.

Syn. -- Absurd; perverted; wrong; irrational; foolish; monstrous. See Absurd.

-- Pre*pos"ter*ous*ly, adv. - Pre*pos"ter*ous*ness, n.

Pre*pos"tor (?), n. See Prepositor.

Pre*po"ten*cy (?), n. [L. praepotentia: cf. F. prÈpotence.]

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

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.

Pre*po"tent (?), a. [L. praepotens. See Pre-, and Potent.]

1. Very powerful; superior in force, influence, or authority; predominant. Plaifere.

2. (Biol.) Characterized by prepotency. Darwin.

Pre`pro*vide" (?), v. t. To provide beforehand. "The materials preprovided." Fuller.

Pre*pu"bic (?), a. (Anat.) Situated in front of, or anterior to, the pubis; pertaining to the prepubis.

||Pre*pu"bis (?), 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.

Pre"puce (?), n. [F. prÈpuce, L. praeputium.] (Anat.) The foreskin.

Pre*pu"tial (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the prepuce.

{ Pre*raph"a*el*ism (?), Pre*raph"a*el*i`tism (?), } n. (Fine Arts) The doctrine or practice of a school of modern painters who profess to be followers of the painters before Raphael. Its adherents advocate careful study from nature, delicacy and minuteness of workmanship, and an exalted and delicate conception of the subject.

Pre*raph"a*el*ite (?), a. Of or pertaining to the style called preraphaelitism; as, a preraphaelite figure; a preraphaelite landscape. Ruskin.

Pre*raph"a*el*ite, n. One who favors or practices art as it was before Raphael; one who favors or advocates preraphaelitism.

Pre*reg"nant (?), n. One who reigns before another; a sovereign predecessor. [R.] Warner.

Pre`re*mote (?), a. More remote in previous time or prior order.

In some cases two more links of causation may be introduced; one of
them may be termed the preremote cause, the other the postremote
effect.

E. Darwin.

Pre`re*quire" (?), v. t. To require beforehand.

Some things are prerequired of us.

Bp. Hall.

Pre*req"ui*site (?), a. Previously required; necessary as a preliminary to any proposed effect or end; as, prerequisite conditions of success.

Pre*req"ui*site, n. Something previously required, or necessary to an end or effect proposed.

The necessary prerequisites of freedom.

Goldsmith.

Pre`re*solve" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Preresolved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Preresolving.] To resolve beforehand; to predetermine. Sir E. Dering.

Pre*rog"a*tive (?), n. [F. prÈrogative, from L. praerogativa precedence in voting, preference, privilege, fr. praerogativus that is asked before others for his opinion, that votes before or first, fr. 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; preÎminence; first rank. [Obs.]

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.

Pre*rog"a*tived (?), a. Endowed with a prerogative, or exclusive privilege. [R.] Shak.

Pre*rog"a*tive*ly (?), adv. By prerogative.

Pre"sage (?), n. [F. prÈsage, L. praesagium, from praesagire. See Presage, v. t. ]

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.

Pre*sage" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Presaged (-sjd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Presaging. ] [F. prÈsager, L. 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.

Pre*sage", v. i. To form or utter a prediction; -- sometimes used with of. Dryden.

Pre*sage"ful (?), a. Full of presages; ominous.

Dark in the glass of some presageful mood.

Tennyson.

Pre*sage"ment (?), n.

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.

Pre*sa"ger (?), n. One who, or that which, presages; a foreteller; a foreboder. Shak.

Pre*sa"gious (?), a. Foreboding; ominous. [Obs.]

Pres"by*ope (?), n. (Med.) One who has presbyopia; a farsighted person.

||Pres`by*o"pi*a (?) [NL., from Gr. &?; old, n., an old man + &?;, &?;, ||the eye.] (Med.) 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.

Pres`by*op"ic (?), a. Affected by presbyopia; also, remedying presbyopia; farsighted.

Pres"by*o`py (?), n. [Cf. F. presbyopie.] See Presbyopia.

Pres"byte (?), n. [Gr. &?; an old man.] Same as Presbyope.

Pres"by*ter (?), n. [L. an elder, fr. Gr. &?;. See Priest.]

1. An elder in the early Christian church. See 2d Citation under Bishop, n., 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. [Obs.] Hudibras.

Pres*byt"er*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a presbyter or presbytery; presbyterial.

Pres*byt"er*ate (?), n. [L. presbyteratus: cf. F. presbytÈrat.] A presbytery; also, presbytership. Heber.

Pres"by*ter*ess, n. A female presbyter. Bale.

Pres`by*te"ri*al (?), a. [Cf. F. presbytÈral.] Presbyterian. "Presbyterial government." Milton.

Pres`by*te"ri*an (?), a. [Cf. F. presbytÈrien.] 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.

Pres`by*te"ri*an, n. [Cf. F. presbytÈrien.] One who maintains the validity of ordination and government by presbyters; a member of the Presbyterian church.

Reformed Presbyterians. See Cameronian.

Pres`by*te"ri*an*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. presbytÈrianisme.] 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.

||Pres`by*te"ri*um (?), n. [L.] (Arch.) Same as Presbytery, 4.

Pres"by*ter*ship (?), n. The office or station of a presbyter; presbyterate.

Pres"by*ter*y (?), n.; pl. Presbyteries (#). [L. presbyterium, Gr. &?;. See Presbyter, and cf. 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) (Arch.) That part of the church reserved for the officiating priest. (b) The residence of a priest or clergyman. Gwilt.

||Pres*byt"i*a (?), n. [NL. See Presbyte.] (Med.) Presbyopia.

Pres*byt"ic (?), a. (Med.) Same as Presbyopic.

Pres"byt*ism (?), n. Presbyopia.

||Pre*scap"u*la (?), n. [NL.] (Anat.) The part of the scapula in front ||of, or above, the spine, or mesoscapula.

Pre*scap"u*lar (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the prescapula; supraspinous.

Pre"sci*ence (pr"sh*ens or - shens; 277), n. [F. prescience, L. praescientia. See Prescient.] Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight.

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

J. Edwards.

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Pre"sci*ent (pr"sh*ent or - shent), a. [L. praesciens, - entis, p. pr. of praescire to foreknow; prae before + scire to know: cf. F. prescient. See Science.] Having knowledge of coming events; foreseeing; conscious beforehand. Pope.

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

Bacon.

Pre"sci*ent*ly, adv. With prescience or foresight.

Pre*scind" (pr*snd"), v. t. [L. praescindere to cut off in front; prae before + scindere to cut asunder: cf. F. prescinder.]

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

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

Pre*scind"ent (?), a. [L. praescius; prae before + scius knowing, fr. scire to know.] Cutting off; abstracting. [R.] Cheyne.

Pre"scious (pr"shs), a. [L. praescius; prae before + scius knowing, fr. scire to know.] Foreknowing; having foreknowledge; as, prescious of ills. [R.] Dryden.

Pre*scribe" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prescribed (?); p. pr & vb. n. Prescribing.] [L. 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. (Med.) 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.

Pre*scribe", v. i. 1. To give directions; to dictate.

A forwardness to prescribe to their opinions.

Locke.

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

3. (Med.) 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.

Pre*scrib"er (?), n. One who prescribes.

Pre"script (?), a. [L. praescriptus, p. p. of praescribere: cf. F. prescrit. See Prescribe.] Directed; prescribed. " A prescript from of words." Jer. Taylor.

Pre"script, n. [L. praescriptum: cf. OF. prescript.]

1. Direction; precept; model prescribed. Milton.

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

Pre*scrip`ti*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state of being prescriptible. Story.

Pre*scrip"ti*ble (pr*skrp"t*b'l), a. [Cf. F. prescriptible.] Depending on, or derived from, prescription; proper to be prescribed. Grafton.

Pre*scrip"tion (-shn), n. [F. prescription, L. praescriptio, an inscription, preface, precept, demurrer, prescription (in sense 3), fr. praescribere. See Prescribe.]

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

2. (Med.) 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.

Pre*scrip"tive (?), a. [L. 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.

Pre*scrip"tive*ly, adv. By prescription.

||Pre*scu"tum (?), n.; pl. Prescuta (&?;). [NL. See PrÊ-, and Scutum.] ||(Zoˆl.) 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.

Pre"se*ance (?), n. [F. prÈsÈance. See Preside.] Priority of place in sitting.[Obs.] Carew.

Pre`se*lect" (?), v. t. To select beforehand.

Pres"ence (?), n. [F. prÈsence, L. praesentia. See Present.] 1. The state of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand; -- opposed to absence.

2. The place in which one is present; the part of space within one's ken, call, influence, etc.; neighborhood without the intervention of anything that forbids intercourse.

Wrath shell be no more Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire.

Milton.

3. Specifically, neighborhood to the person of one of superior of exalted rank; also, presence chamber.

In such a presence here to plead my thoughts.

Shak.

An't please your grace, the two great cardinals. Wait in the
presence.

Shak.

4. The whole of the personal qualities of an individual; person; personality; especially, the person of a superior, as a sovereign.

The Sovran Presence thus replied.

Milton.

5. An assembly, especially of person of rank or nobility; noble company.

Odmar, of all this presence does contain, Give her your wreath whom
you esteem most fair.

Dryden.

6. Port, mien; air; personal appearence. "Rather dignity of presence than beauty of aspect." Bacon.

A graceful presence bespeaks acceptance.

Collier.

Presence chamber, or Presence room, the room in which a great personage receives company. Addison. " Chambers of presence." Bacon. -- Presence of mind, that state of the mind in which all its faculties are alert, prompt, and acting harmoniously in obedience to the will, enabling one to reach, as it were spontaneously or by intuition, just conclusions in sudden emergencies.

Pre`sen*sa"tion (?), n. Previous sensation, notion, or idea. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Pre*sen"sion (?), n. [L. praesensio, fr. praesentire to perceive beforehand. See Presentient.] Previous perception. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Pres"ent (?), a. [F. prÈsent, L. praesens,-entis, that is before one, in sight or at hand, p. p. of praeesse to be before; prae before + esse to be. See Essence.]

1. Being at hand, within reach or call, within certain contemplated limits; -- opposed to absent.

These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

John xiv. 25.

2. Now existing, or in process; begun but not ended; now in view, or under consideration; being at this time; not past or future; as, the present session of Congress; the present state of affairs; the present instance.

I'll bring thee to the present business

Shak.

3. Not delayed; immediate; instant; coincident. "A present recompense." "A present pardon." Shak.

An ambassador . . . desires a present audience.

Massinger.

4. Ready; quick in emergency; as a present wit. [R.]

5. Favorably attentive; propitious. [Archaic]

To find a god so present to my prayer.

Dryden.

Present tense (Gram.), the tense or form of a verb which expresses action or being in the present time; as, I am writing, I write, or I do write.

Pres"ent, n. [Cf. F. prÈsent. See Present, a.] 1. Present time; the time being; time in progress now, or at the moment contemplated; as, at this present.

Past and present, wound in one.

Tennyson.

2. pl. (Law) Present letters or instrument, as a deed of conveyance, a lease, letter of attorney, or other writing; as in the phrase, " Know all men by these presents," that is, by the writing itself, " per has literas praesentes; " -- in this sense, rarely used in the singular.

3. (Gram.) A present tense, or the form of the verb denoting the present tense.

At present, at the present time; now. -- For the present, for the tine being; temporarily. -- In present, at once, without delay. [Obs.] "With them, in present, half his kingdom; the rest to follow at his death." Milton.

Pre*sent" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Presented; p. pr. & vb. n. Presenting.] [F. prÈsenter, L. praesentare, fr. praesens, a. See Present, a.] 1. To bring or introduce into the presence of some one, especially of a superior; to introduce formally; to offer for acquaintance; as, to present an envoy to the king; (with the reciprocal pronoun) to come into the presence of a superior.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the lord.

Job i. 6

2. To exhibit or offer to view or notice; to lay before one's perception or cognizance; to set forth; to present a fine appearance.

Lectorides's memory is ever . . . presenting him with the thoughts
of other persons.

I. Watts.

3. To pass over, esp. in a ceremonious manner; to give in charge or possession; to deliver; to make over.

So ladies in romance assist their knight, Present the spear, and
arm him for the fight.

Pope.

4. To make a gift of; to bestow; to give, generally in a formal or ceremonious manner; to grant; to confer.

My last, least offering, I present thee now.

Cowper.

5. Hence: To endow; to bestow a gift upon; to favor, as with a donation; also, to court by gifts.

Octavia presented the poet for him admirable elegy on her son
Marcellus.

Dryden.

6. To present; to personate. [Obs.] Shak.

7. In specific uses; (a) To nominate to an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution.

The patron of a church may present his clerk to a parsonage or
vicarage; that is, may offer him to the bishop of the diocese to be
instituted.

Blackstone.

(b) To nominate for support at a public school or other institution . Lamb. (c) To lay before a public body, or an official, for consideration, as before a legislature, a court of judicature, a corporation, etc.; as, to present a memorial, petition, remonstrance, or indictment. (d) To lay before a court as an object of inquiry; to give notice officially of, as a crime of offence; to find or represent judicially; as, a grand jury present certain offenses or nuisances, or whatever they think to be public injuries. (e) To bring an indictment against . [U.S] (f) To aim, point, or direct, as a weapon; as, to present a pistol or the point of a sword to the breast of another.

Pesent arms (Mil.), the command in response to which the gun is carried perpendicularly in front of the center of the body, and held there with the left hand grasping it at the lower band, and the right hand grasping the small of the stock, in token of respect, as in saluting a superior officer; also, the position taken at such a command.

Pre*sent", v. i. (Med.) To appear at the mouth of the uterus so as to be perceptible to the finger in vaginal examination; -- said of a part of an infant during labor.

Pres"ent (?), n. [F. prÈsent .] Anything presented or given; a gift; a donative; as, a Christmas present.

Syn. -- Gift; donation; donative; benefaction. See Gift.

Pre*sent" (?), n. (Mil.) The position of a soldier in presenting arms; as, to stand at present.

Pre*sent"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈsentable.] 1. Capable or admitting of being presented; suitable to be exhibited, represented, or offered; fit to be brought forward or set forth; hence, fitted to be introduced to another, or to go into society; as, ideas that are presentable in simple language; she is not presentable in such a gown.

2. Admitting of the presentation of a clergiman; as, a church presentable. [R.] Ayliffe.

Pres`en*ta"ne*ous (?), a. [L. praesentaneus. See Present, a.] Ready; quick; immediate in effect; as, presentaneous poison. [Obs.] Harvey.

Pres`en*ta"tion (?), n. [L. praesentatio a showing, representation: cf. F. prÈsentation.] 1. The act of presenting, or the state of being presented; a setting forth; an offering; bestowal.

Prayers are sometimes a presentation of mere desires.

Hooker.

2. Hence, exhibition; representation; display; appearance; semblance; show.

Under the presentation of the shoots his wit.

Shak.

3. That which is presented or given; a present; a gift, as, the picture was a presentation. [R.]

4. (Eccl.) The act of offering a clergyman to the bishop or ordinary for institution in a benefice; the right of presenting a clergyman.

If the bishop admits the patron's presentation, the clerk so
admitted is next to be instituted by him.

Blackstone.

5. (Med.) The particular position of the child during labor relatively to the passage though which it is to be brought forth; -- specifically designated by the part which first appears at the mouth of the uterus; as, a breech presentation.

Presentation copy, a copy of a book, engraving, etc., presented to some one by the author or artist, as a token of regard.

Pre*sent"a*tive (?), a. 1. (Eccl.) Having the right of presentation, or offering a clergyman to the bishop for institution; as, advowsons are presentative, collative, or donative. Blackstone.

2. Admitting the presentation of a clergyman; as, a presentative parsonage. Spelman.

3. (Metaph.) Capable of being directly known by, or presented to, the mind; intuitive; directly apprehensible, as objects; capable of apprehending, as faculties.

The latter term, presentative faculty, I use . . . in contrast and
correlation to a "representative faculty."

Sir W. Hamilton.

Pres`en*tee" (?), n. [F. prÈsentÈ, p. p. See Present, v. t. ] One to whom something is presented; also, one who is presented; specifically (Eccl.), one presented to benefice. Ayliffe.

Pre*sent"er (?), n. One who presents.

Pre*sen"tial (?), a. [LL. praesentialis.] Implying actual presence; present, immediate. [Obs.]

God's mercy is made presential to us.

Jer. Taylor.

-- Pre*sen"tial*ly, adv. [Obs.]

Pre*sen`ti*al"i*ty (?), n. State of being actually present. [Obs.] South.

Pre*sen"ti*ate (?), v. t. To make present. [Obs.]

Pre*sen"tient (?), a. [L. praesentiens, p. pr. of praesentire to perceive beforehand; prae before + sentire to feel.] Feeling or perceiving beforehand.

Pres`en*tif"ic (?), a. [L. praesens, -entis, present + facere to make.] Making present. [Obs.]

-- Pres`en*tif"ic*ly, adv. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Pres`en*tif"ic*al (?), a. Presentific. [Obs.]

Pre*sen"ti*ment (?), n. [Pref. pre- + sentiment: cf. F. pressentiment. See Presentient.] Previous sentiment, conception, or opinion; previous apprehension; especially, an antecedent impression or conviction of something unpleasant, distressing, or calamitous, about to happen; anticipation of evil; foreboding.

Pre*sen`ti*men"tal (?), a. Of nature of a presentiment; foreboding. [R.] Coleridge.

Pre*sen"tion (?), n. See Presension. [Obs.]

Pre*sent"ive (?), a. (Philol.) Bringing a conception or notion directly before the mind; presenting an object to the memory of imagination; -- distinguished from symbolic.

How greatly the word "will" is felt to have lost presentive power
in the last three centuries.

Earle.

-- Pre*sent"ive*ly, adv. -- Pre*sent"ive*ness, n.

Pres"ent*ly (?), adv. 1. At present; at this time; now. [Obs.]

The towns and forts you presently have.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. At once; without delay; forthwith; also, less definitely, soon; shortly; before long; after a little while; by and by. Shak.

And presently the fig tree withered away.

Matt. xxi. 19.

3. With actual presence; actually . [Obs.]

His precious body and blood presently three.

Bp. Gardiner.

Pre*sent"ment (?), n. 1. The act of presenting, or the state of being presented; presentation. " Upon the heels of my presentment." Shak.

2. Setting forth to view; delineation; appearance; representation; exhibition.

Power to cheat the eye with blear illusion, And give it false
presentment.

Milton.

3. (Law) (a) The notice taken by a grand jury of any offence from their own knowledge or observation, without any bill of indictment laid before them, as, the presentment of a nuisance, a libel, or the like; also, an inquisition of office and indictment by a grand jury; an official accusation presented to a tribunal by the grand jury in an indictment, or the act of offering an indictment; also, the indictment itself. (b) The official notice (formerly required to be given in court) of the surrender of a copyhold estate. Blackstone.

Presentment of a bill of exchange, the offering of a bill to the drawee for acceptance, or to the acceptor for payment. See Bill of exchange, under Bill.

<! p. 1133 !> Mozley & W.

Pres"ent*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being present; presence. [Obs.] "Presentness of mind in danger." Clarendon.

Pres`en*toir" (?), n. [Formed after analogy of French.] An ornamental tray, dish, or the like, used as a salver.

Pre*serv"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being preserved; admitting of preservation.

Pres`er*va"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. prÈservation.] The act or process of preserving, or keeping safe; the state of being preserved, or kept from injury, destruction, or decay; security; safety; as, preservation of life, fruit, game, etc.; a picture in good preservation.

Give us particulars of thy preservation.

Shak.

Pre*serv"a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈservatif.] Having the power or quality of preserving; tending to preserve, or to keep from injury, decay, etc.

Pre*serv"a*tive, n. That which preserves, or has the power of preserving; a presevative agent.

To wear tablets as preservatives against the plague.

Bacon.

Pre*serv"a*to*ry (?), a. Preservative. Bp. Hall.

Pre*serv"a*to*ry, n.; pl. Preservatories (&?;). 1. A preservative. [Obs.] Whitlock.

2. A room, or apparatus, in which perishable things, as fruit, vegetables, etc., can be preserved without decay.

Pre*serve" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Preserved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Preserving.] [F. prÈserver, from L. prae before + servare to save, preserve; cf. L. praeservare to observe beforehand. See Serve.] 1. To keep or save from injury or destruction; to guard or defend from evil, harm, danger, etc.; to protect.

O Lord, thou preserved man and beast.

Ps. xxxvi. 6.

Now, good angels preserve the king.

Shak.

2. To save from decay by the use of some preservative substance, as sugar, salt, etc.; to season and prepare for remaining in a good state, as fruits, meat, etc.; as, to preserve peaches or grapes.

You can not preserve it from tainting.

Shak.

3. To maintain throughout; to keep intact; as, to preserve appearances; to preserve silence.

To preserve game, to protect it from extermination.

Syn. -- To keep; save; secure; uphold; sustain; defend; spare; protect; guard; shield. See Keep.

Pre*serve", v. i. 1. To make preserves. Shak.

2. To protect game for purposes of sport.

Pre*serve", n. 1. That which is preserved; fruit, etc., seasoned and kept by suitable preparation; esp., fruit cooked with sugar; -- commonly in the plural.

2. A place in which game, fish, etc., are preserved for purposes of sport, or for food.

Pre*serv"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, preserves, saves, or defends, from destruction, injury, or decay; esp., one who saves the life or character of another. Shak.

2. One who makes preserves of fruit.

Game preserver. See under Game.

Pre*show" (?), v. t. To foreshow.

Pre*side" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Presided; p. pr. & vb. n. Presiding.] [L. praesidere; prae before + sedere to sit: cf. F. prÈsider. See Sit.] 1. To be set, or to sit, in the place of authority; to occupy the place of president, chairman, moderator, director, etc.; to direct, control, and regulate, as chief officer; as, to preside at a public meeting; to preside over the senate.

2. To exercise superintendence; to watch over.

Some o'er the public magazines preside.

Dryden.

Pres"i*dence (?), n. See Presidency. [Obs.]

Pres"i*den*cy (?), n.; pl. Presidencies (#). [Cf. F. prÈsidence.] 1. The function or condition of one who presides; superintendence; control and care.

2. The office of president; as, Washington was elected to the presidency.

3. The term during which a president holds his office; as, during the presidency of Madison.

4. One of the three great divisions of British India, the Bengal, Madras, and Bombay Presidencies, each of which had a council of which its governor was president.

Pres"i*dent (?), n. Precedent. [Obs.] Bacon.

Pres"i*dent, a. Occupying the first rank or chief place; having the highest authority; presiding. [R.]

His angels president In every province.

Milton.

Pres"i*dent, n. [F. prÈsident, L. praesidens, -entis, p. pr. of praesidere. See Preside.] 1. One who is elected or appointed to preside; a presiding officer, as of a legislative body. Specifically: (a) The chief officer of a corporation, company, institution, society, or the like. (b) The chief executive officer of the government in certain republics; as, the president of the United States.

2. A protector; a guardian; a presiding genius. [Obs.]

Just Apollo, president of verse.

Waller.

Pres`i*den"tial (?), a. 1. Presiding or watching over. "Presidential angels." Glanvill.

2. Of or pertaining to a president; as, the presidential chair; a presidential election.

Pres"i*dent*ship (?), n. The office and dignity of president; presidency. Hooker.

Pre*sid"er (?), n. One who presides.

{ Pre*sid"i*al (?), Pre*sid"i*a*ry (?), } a. [L. praesidialis and praesidiarius, fr. praesidium a presiding over, defense, guard. See Preside.] Of or pertaining to a garrison; having a garrison.

There are three presidial castles in this city.

Howell.

Pre*sid"i*a*ry, n. [L. praesidiarium.] A guard. [Obs.] "Heavenly presidiaries." Bp. Hall.

Pre*sid"ing (?), a. & n. from Preside.

Presiding elder. See under 2d Elder.

||Pre*si"di*o (?), n. [Sp.] A place of defense; a fortress; a garrison; ||a fortress; a garrison or guardhouse.

Pre*sig`ni*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [&?;. praesignificatio. See Presignify.] The act of signifying or showing beforehand.

Pre*sig"ni*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Presignified (?); imp. & p. p. Presignifying.] [L. praesignificare; prae before + significare to signify.] To intimate or signify beforehand; to presage.

Pre*sphe"noid (?), a. (Anat.) Situated in front of the sphenoid bone; of or pertaining to the anterior part of the sphenoid bone (i. e., the presphenoid bone).

Presphenoid bone (Anat.), the anterior part of the body of the sphenoid bone in front of the basisphenoid. It is usually a separate bone in the young or fetus, but becomes a part of the sphenoid in the adult.

Pre*sphe"noid, n. (Anat.) The presphenoid bone.

Pre`sphe*noid"al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the presphenoid bone; presphenoid.

Pre*spi"nal (?), a. (Anat.) Prevertebral.

Press (?), n. (Zoˆl.) An East Indian insectivore (Tupaia ferruginea). It is arboreal in its habits, and has a bushy tail. The fur is soft, and varies from rusty red to maroon and to brownish black.

Press, v. t. [Corrupt. fr. prest ready money advanced, a loan; hence, earnest money given soldiers on entering service. See Prest, n.] To force into service, particularly into naval service; to impress.

To peaceful peasant to the wars is pressed.

Dryden.

Press, n. [For prest, confused with press.] A commission to force men into public service, particularly into the navy.

I have misused the king's press.

Shak.

Press gang, or Pressgang, a detachment of seamen under the command of an officer empowered to force men into the naval service. See Impress gang, under Impress. -- Press money, money paid to a man enlisted into public service. See Prest money, under Prest, a.

Press, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pressed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pressing.] [F. presser, fr. L. pressare to press, fr. premere, pressum, to press. Cf. Print, v.] 1. To urge, or act upon, with force, as weight; to act upon by pushing or thrusting, in distinction from pulling; to crowd or compel by a gradual and continued exertion; to bear upon; to squeeze; to compress; as, we press the ground with the feet when we walk; we press the couch on which we repose; we press substances with the hands, fingers, or arms; we are pressed in a crowd.

Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together.

Luke vi. 38.

2. To squeeze, in order to extract the juice or contents of; to squeeze out, or express, from something.

From sweet kernels pressed, She tempers dulcet creams.

Milton.

And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I
gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

Gen. xl. 11.

3. To squeeze in or with suitable instruments or apparatus, in order to compact, make dense, or smooth; as, to press cotton bales, paper, etc.; to smooth by ironing; as, to press clothes.

4. To embrace closely; to hug.

Leucothoe shook at these alarms, And pressed Palemon closer in her
arms.

Pope.

5. To oppress; to bear hard upon.

Press not a falling man too far.

Shak.

6. To straiten; to distress; as, to be pressed with want or hunger.

7. To exercise very powerful or irresistible influence upon or over; to constrain; to force; to compel.

Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that
Jesus was Christ.

Acts xviii. 5.

8. To try to force (something upon some one); to urge or inculcate with earnestness or importunity; to enforce; as, to press divine truth on an audience.

He pressed a letter upon me within this hour.

Dryden.

Be sure to press upon him every motive.

Addison.

9. To drive with violence; to hurry; to urge on; to ply hard; as, to press a horse in a race.

The posts . . . went cut, being hastened and pressed on, by the
king's commandment.

Esther viii. 14.

Press differs from drive and strike in usually denoting a slow or continued application of force; whereas drive and strike denote a sudden impulse of force.

Pressed brick. See under Brick.

Press, v. i. 1. To exert pressure; to bear heavily; to push, crowd, or urge with steady force.

2. To move on with urging and crowding; to make one's way with violence or effort; to bear onward forcibly; to crowd; to throng; to encroach.

They pressed upon him for to touch him.

Mark iii. 10.

3. To urge with vehemence or importunity; to exert a strong or compelling influence; as, an argument presses upon the judgment.

Press, n. [F. presse. See 4th Press.] 1. An apparatus or machine by which any substance or body is pressed, squeezed, stamped, or shaped, or by which an impression of a body is taken; sometimes, the place or building containing a press or presses.

Presses are differently constructed for various purposes in the arts, their specific uses being commonly designated; as, a cotton press, a wine press, a cider press, a copying press, etc. See Drill press.

2. Specifically, a printing press.

3. The art or business of printing and publishing; hence, printed publications, taken collectively, more especially newspapers or the persons employed in writing for them; as, a free press is a blessing, a licentious press is a curse.

4. An upright case or closet for the safe keeping of articles; as, a clothes press. Shak.

5. The act of pressing or thronging forward.

In their throng and press to that last hold.

Shak.

6. Urgent demands of business or affairs; urgency; as, a press of engagements.

7. A multitude of individuals crowded together; &?; crowd of single things; a throng.

They could not come nigh unto him for the press.

Mark ii. 4.

Cylinder press, a printing press in which the impression is produced by a revolving cylinder under which the form passes; also, one in which the form of type or plates is curved around a cylinder, instead of resting on a flat bed. -- Hydrostatic press. See under Hydrostatic. -- Liberty of the press, the free right of publishing books, pamphlets, or papers, without previous restraint or censorship, subject only to punishment for libelous, seditious, or morally pernicious matters. -- Press bed, a bed that may be folded, and inclosed, in a press or closet. Boswell. -- Press of sail, (Naut.), as much sail as the state of the wind will permit.

Press"er (?), n. One who, or that which, presses.

Presser bar, or Presser wheel (Knitting machine), a bar or wheel which closes the barbs of the needles to enable the loops of the yarn to pass over them. -- Presser foot, the part of a sewing machine which rests on the cloth and presses it down upon the table of the machine.

Press"gang` (?), n. See Press gang, under Press.

Press"ing, a. Urgent; exacting; importunate; as, a pressing necessity. -- Press"ing*ly, adv.

Pres"sion (?), n. [L. pressio: cf. F. pression. See 4th Press.] 1. The act of pressing; pressure. Sir I. Newton.

2. (Cartesian Philos.) An endeavor to move.

Pres`si*ros"ter (?), n. [L. presssus pressed (p. p. of premere) + rostrum beak: cf. F. pressirostre. See 4th Press.] (Zoˆl.) One of a tribe of wading birds (Pressirostres) including those which have a compressed beak, as the plovers.

Pres`si*ros"tral (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the pressirosters.

Pres"si*tant (?), a. [See 4th Press.] Gravitating; heavy. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Pres"sive (?), a. Pressing; urgent; also, oppressive; as, pressive taxation. [R.] Bp. Hall.

Press"ly (?), adv. Closely; concisely. [Obs.]

Press"man (?), n.; pl. Pressmen (&?;). 1. One who manages, or attends to, a press, esp. a printing press.

2. One who presses clothes; as, a tailor's pressman.

Press"man, n. [See 2d Press.] One of a press gang, who aids in forcing men into the naval service; also, one forced into the service.

Press"or (?), a. (Physiol.) Causing, or giving rise to, pressure or to an increase of pressure; as, pressor nerve fibers, stimulation of which excites the vasomotor center, thus causing a stronger contraction of the arteries and consequently an increase of the arterial blood pressure; -- opposed to depressor. Landois & Stirling.

Press"pack` (?), v. t. To pack, or prepare for packing, by means of a press.

Pres"sur*age (?), n. [F.] 1. Pressure.

2. The juice of the grape extracted by the press; also, a fee paid for the use of a wine press.

Pres"sure (?; 138), n. [OF., fr. L. pressura, fr. premere. See 4th Press.] 1. The act of pressing, or the condition of being pressed; compression; a squeezing; a crushing; as, a pressure of the hand.

2. A contrasting force or impulse of any kind; as, the pressure of poverty; the pressure of taxes; the pressure of motives on the mind; the pressure of civilization.

Where the pressure of danger was not felt.

Macaulay.

3. Affliction; distress; grievance.

My people's pressures are grievous.

Eikon Basilike.

In the midst of his great troubles and pressures.

Atterbury.

4. Urgency; as, the pressure of business.

5. Impression; stamp; character impressed.

All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past.

Shak.

6. (Mech.) The action of a force against some obstacle or opposing force; a force in the nature of a thrust, distributed over a surface, often estimated with reference to the amount upon a unit's area.

Atmospheric pressure, Center of pressure, etc. See under Atmospheric, Center, etc. -- Back pressure (Steam engine), pressure which resists the motion of the piston, as the pressure of exhaust steam which does not find free outlet. -- Fluid pressure, pressure like that exerted by a fluid. It is a thrust which is normal and equally intense in all directions around a point. Rankine. -- Pressure gauge, a gauge for indicating fluid pressure; a manometer.

Press"work` (?), n. The art of printing from the surface of type, plates, or engravings in relief, by means of a press; the work so done. MacKellar.

Prest (prst), imp. & p. p. of Press.

Prest, a. [OF. prest, F. prÍt, fr. L. praestus ready. Cf. Presto.] 1. Ready; prompt; prepared. [Obs.]

All prest to such battle he was.

R. of Gloucester.

2. Neat; tidy; proper. [Obs.] Tusser.

Prest money, money formerly paid to men when they enlisted into the British service; -- so called because it bound those that received it to be ready for service when called upon.

Prest, n. [OF. prest, F. prÍt, fr. OF. prester to lend, F. prÍter, fr. L. praestare to stand before, to become surety for, to fulfill, offer, supply; prae before + stare to stand. See Pre-, and Stand, and cf. Press to force into service.] 1. Ready money; a loan of money. [Obs.]

Requiring of the city a prest of six thousand marks.

Bacon.

2. (Law) A duty in money formerly paid by the sheriff on his account in the exchequer, or for money left or remaining in his hands. Cowell.

Prest, v. t. To give as a loan; to lend. [Obs.]

Sums of money . . . prested out in loan.

E. Hall.

Prest"a*ble (?), a. Payable. [Scot.]

Pres*ta"tion (?), n. [L. praestatio a performing, paying, fr. praestare: cf. F. prestation.] (O. Eng. Law) A payment of money; a toll or duty; also, the rendering of a service. Burrill.

<! p. 1134 !>

Prestation money, a sum of money paid yearly by archdeacons and other dignitaries to their bishop.

Pres"ter (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, from &?; to kindle or burn, and &?; to blow up, swell out by blowing.] 1. A meteor or exhalation formerly supposed to be thrown from the clouds with such violence that by collision it is set on fire. [Obs.]

2. pl. One of the veins of the neck when swollen with anger or other excitement. [Obs.]

Pres"ter, n. [OF. prestre. See Priest.] A priest or presbyter; as, Prester John. [Obs.]

Pre*ster"num (?), n. [NL.] (Anat.) The anterior segment of the sternum; the manubrium. -- Pre*ster"nal (#), a.

Pres`ti*dig"i*tal (?), a. Nimble- fingered; having fingers fit for prestidigitation, or juggling. [R.] "His prestidigital hand." Charles Reade.

Pres`ti*dig`i*ta"tion (?), n. Legerdemain; sleight of hand; juggling.

Pres`ti*dig"i*ta`tor (?), n. [L. praesto ready + digitus finger: cf. F. prestidigitateur.] One skilled in legerdemain or sleight of hand; a juggler.

Pres"tige (?; 277), n. [F., fr. L. praestigum delusion, illusion, praestigae deceptions, jugglers' tricks, prob. fr. prae before + the root of stinguere to extinguish, originally, to prick. See Stick, v.] 1. Delusion; illusion; trick. [Obs.]

The sophisms of infidelity, and the prestiges of imposture.

Bp. Warburton.

2. Weight or influence derived from past success; expectation of future achievements founded on those already accomplished; force or charm derived from acknowledged character or reputation. "The prestige of his name must go for something." Sir G. C. Lewis.

Pres*tig`i*a"tion (?), n. [L. praestigiare to deceive by juggling tricks, fr. praestigae. See Prestige.] Legerdemain; prestidigitation. [Obs.]

Pres*tig"i*a`tor (?), n. [L. praestigiator.] A juggler; prestidigitator. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

Pres*tig"i*a*to*ry (?), a. Consisting of impostures; juggling. [Obs.] Barrow.

Pres*tig"i*ous (?), a. [L. praestigiosus.] Practicing tricks; juggling. [Obs.] Cotton Mather.

Pres"ti*mo*ny (?), n. [LL. praestimonium, fr. L. praestare to furnish, supply: cf. F. prestimonie. See Prest, n.] (Canon Law) A fund for the support of a priest, without the title of a benefice. The patron in the collator.

||Pres*tis"si*mo (?), adv. [It., superl. of presto.] (Mus.) Very ||quickly; with great rapidity.

Pres"to (?), adv. [It. or Sp. presto quick, quickly. See Prest, a.] 1. Quickly; immediately; in haste; suddenly.

Presto! begone! 'tis here again.

Swift.

2. (Mus.) Quickly; rapidly; -- a direction for a quick, lively movement or performance; quicker than allegro, or any rate of time except prestissimo.

Pre*stric"tion (?), n. [L. praestrictio a binding fast, fr. praestringere. See Pre-, and Stringent.] Obstruction, dimness, or defect of sight. [Obs.] Milton.

Pre*sul"tor (?), n. [L. praesultor; prae before + salire to dance.] A leader in the dance. [R.]

Pre*sum"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈsumable.] Such as may be presumed or supposed to be true; that seems entitled to belief without direct evidence.

Pre*sum"a*bly, adv. In a presumable manner; by, or according to, presumption.

Pre*sume" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Presumed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Presuming.] [F. prÈsumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.] 1. To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained.

Dare he presume to scorn us in this manner?

Shak.

Bold deed thou hast presumed, adventurous Eve.

Milton.

2. To take or suppose to be true, or entitled to belief, without examination or proof, or on the strength of probability; to take for granted; to infer; to suppose.

Every man is to be presumed innocent till he is proved to be
guilty.

Blackstone.

What rests but that the mortal sentence pass, . . . Which he
presumes already vain and void, Because not yet inflicted?

Milton.

Pre*sume", v. i. 1. To suppose or assume something to be, or to be true, on grounds deemed valid, though not amounting to proof; to believe by anticipation; to infer; as, we may presume too far.

2. To venture, go, or act, by an assumption of leave or authority not granted; to go beyond what is warranted by the circumstances of the case; to venture beyond license; to take liberties; -- often with on or upon before the ground of confidence.

Do not presume too much upon my love.

Shak.

This man presumes upon his parts.

Locke.

Pre*sum"ed*ly, adv. By presumption.

Pre*sum"er (?), n. One who presumes; also, an arrogant person. Sir H. Wotton.

Pre*sum"ing*ly, adv. Confidently; arrogantly.

Pre*sump"tion (?; 215), n. [L. praesumptio: cf. F. prÈsomption, OF. also presumpcion. See Presume.] 1. The act of presuming, or believing upon probable evidence; the act of assuming or taking for granted; belief upon incomplete proof.