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To determine beforehand, especially to disadvantage; to prejudge. Our dearest friend Prejudicates the business. Shak.

Tending to obstruct or impair; hurtful; injurious; disadvantageous; detrimental. Hooker. His going away . . . was most prejudicial and most ruinous to the king's affairs. Clarendon. -- Prej`u*di"cial*ly, adv. -- Prej`u*di"cial*ness, n.

To overcome; to gain the victory or superiority; to gain the advantage; to have the upper hand, or the mastery; to succeed; -- sometimes with over or against. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Ex. xvii. 11. So David prevailed over the Philistine. 1 Sam. xvii…

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.

A peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity not enjoyed by others or by all; special enjoyment of a good, or exemption from an evil or burden; a prerogative; advantage; franchise. He pleads the legal privilege of a Roman. Kettlewell. The privilege birthright was a double portion. Locke. A people inheri…

Invested with a privilege; enjoying a peculiar right, advantage, or immunity. Privileged communication. (Law) (a) A communication which can not be disclosed without the consent of the party making it, -- such as those made by a client to his legal adviser, or by persons to their religious or medical advisers. (b) A com…

Profitable; advantageous; useful. [Obs.] Harvey.

To be of service to; to be good to; to help on; to benefit; to advantage; to avail; to aid; as, truth profits all men. The word preached did not profit them. Heb. iv. 2. It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs. Dryden.

Yielding or bringing profit or gain; gainful; lucrative; useful; helpful; advantageous; beneficial; as, a profitable trade; profitable business; a profitable study or profession. What was so profitable to the empire became fatal to the emperor. Arbuthnot. -- Prof"it*a*ble*ness, n. -- Prof"it*a*bly, adv.…

Gain; advantage; profit. That thy profiting may appear to all. 1 Tim. iv. 15.

To wander about and beg; to seek food or other supplies by low arts; to seek for advantage by mean shift or tricks. [Low] A perfect artist in progging for money. Fuller. I have been endeavoring to prog for you. Burke.

Some persons . . . change their propositions according as their temporal necessities or advantages do turn. Jer. Taylor.

Benefit; profit; good; advantage. [Obs.] That shall be for your hele and for your prow. Chaucer.

Something in one's favor in a comparison or a contest; an advantage; means of influencing; as, in weights the favorite had the pull. [Slang]

To apply to (anything) a device for obtaining a mechanical advantage; to get a purchase upon, or apply a purchase to; as, to purchase a cannon.

ecially, the act of sparing the life a conquered enemy; a refraining from pushing one's advantage to extremes. He magnified his own clemency, now they were at his mercy, to offer them quarter for their lives. Clarendon. Cocks and lambs . . . at the mercy of cats and wolves . . . must never expect better quarter. L'Estr…

face of a quarter, to secure lumber that will warp relatively little or show the grain advantageously.

o desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union. Coleridge . . . incurred the reproach of having ratted, solely by his inability to follow the friends of his early d…

An article to obtain an advantage. The Duke of Parma had particular reaches and ends of his own underhand to cross the design. Bacon.

Reciprocal advantages, obligations, or rights; reciprocation. Reciprocity treaty, or Treaty of reciprocity, a treaty concluded between two countries, conferring equal privileges as regards customs or charges on imports, or in other respects.