prevail

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English prevailen, also prevalen,^[2][3] borrowed from Middle French prévaloir (“to have the advantage, dominate”) and directly borrowed from Latin praevaleō (“to have superior force, have the upper hand”).^[4][2][5][3] The Latin verb is formed from prae- (“before”) and valeō (“to be strong, have power”),^[6][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *wal- (“to be strong”).^[3][6] The spelling with “-ai-” is probably due to avail and vail,^[2][5][4] and Klein and Skeat take it from the Old French stem prevail.^[7][8] In Anglo-Norman prevaler, to prevail or have greater authority, is recorded from 1489.^[9] It is related to prevalent, valiant and value.^[7][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

To become very strong, to gain force or vigour: before 1398, in Trevisa's translation of Bartholomew de Glanville; this sense was obsolete by 1755.^[4][11] Barnhart and Etymonline date the sense "to be successful or effective" to before 1400, in a translation of Lanfranc's Science of Surgery.^[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

From the start of the 15th century prevail meant to be successful or effective, and to gain the mastery over an opponent (before 1425).^[4][2] To prevail on or upon someone, to persuade them, is recorded from about 1450 in the OED,^[4] though Etymonline dates it only to the 1570s.^[3] In the 15th to 17th centuries the verb could also mean "to be of use to, benefit", like avail.^[4] The modern sense of being the most frequent or most widespread, and then of being generally current, appears in the early 17th century: the OED cites 1612 and 1617,^[4] Barnhart Hobbes's translation of Thucydides (1628),^[5] and Etymonline gives "be in force, be current" only from 1776.^[3] Johnson (1755) listed "to be in force, to have effect" first, and "to overcome, gain the superiority" second.^[12]

Timeline

• before 1398 – to grow very strong (obsolete by 1755).^[4]
• before 1400 – to be successful or effective.^[4][5]
• before 1425 – to gain the mastery over an opponent.^[4]
• 1442 – to be of use to, benefit (now rare).^[4]
• c. 1450 – prevail on, to persuade.^[4]
• 1612 – to predominate among several usages or qualities.^[4]
• 1617 – to be in general use, to be widely current.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To prove more powerful; to triumph or gain the mastery, often with over or against: In the end common sense prevailed.^[13][14][4]
2. To be the most frequent or predominant feature: Southerly winds prevail along this coast.^[13][4]
3. To exist widely or be in general use: the conditions that prevailed in the camps.^[13][14][4]
4. To succeed in persuading someone, with on or upon: We prevailed on him to stay for dinner.^[13][14][4]
5. (obsolete, 1398–1755) To grow strong; to increase in force.^[4][14][11]

Word family

• prevailer

Related words

• prevalence
• prevalent
• avail
• valiant
• value
• valid

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
10. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
12. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
13. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
14. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster