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prevailing; predominant; successful; victorious. Brennus told the Roman embassadors, that prevalent arms were as good as any title. Sir W. Raleigh.

In a prevalent manner. Prior.

Prevalent everywhere or in all things. Fuller.

To be in great plenty; to be very prevalent; to be plentiful. The wild boar which abounds in some parts of the continent of Europe. Chambers. Where sin abounded grace did much more abound. Rom. v. 20.

A chronic contagious affection of the skin, prevalent in the tropics.

sweat accompanied by a discharge of blood; a disease, called sweating sickness, formerly prevalent in England and other countries.

Rife; common; prevalent. [Prov. Eng.] In brief. See under Brief, n.

he latter is the testimony of eyewitnesses to a fact or the admission of a party; but the prevalent opinion now is that all such testimony is dependent on circumstances for its support. All testimony is more or less circumstantial. Wharton.

A style of dress prevalent at the time of the French Directory, characterized by great extravagance of design and imitating the Greek and Roman costumes.

oducing fruit; the act of fructifying, or rendering productive of fruit; fecundation. The prevalent fructification of plants. Sir T. Brown.

Common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread; prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general opinion; a general custom. This general applause and cheerful sShak.

to the wall spaces, and, generally, great height in proportion to the other dimensions -- prevalent in Western Europe from about 1200 to 1475 a. d. See Illust. of Abacus, and Capital.

Holding the superiority; prevalent; controlling; as, a governing wind; a governing party in a state. Jay.

The manners or morals usually prevalent in a heathen country; ignorance; rudeness; barbarism.

ges of the wind, and generally accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning; -- especially prevalent in the East and West Indies. Also used figuratively. Like the smoke in a hurricane whirl'd. Tennyson. Each guilty thought to me is A dreadful hurricane. Massinger. Hurricane bird (Zoöl.), the frigate bird. -- Hurricane…

A convulsive tic or hysteric neurosis prevalent among Malays, similar to or identical with miryachit and jumping disease, the person affected performing various involuntary actions and making rapid inarticulate ejaculations in imitation of the actions and words of another person.

d; to gain or have a firm footing; to be recognized or established; to subsist; to become prevalent or general; to prevail; as, the custom obtains of going to the seashore in summer. Sobriety hath by use obtained to signify temperance in drinking. Jer. Taylor. The Theodosian code, several hundred years after Justinian'…

. See Terrapin. Potter's asthma (Med.), emphysema of the lungs; -- so called because very prevalent among potters. Parkers. -- Potter's clay. See under Clay. -- Potter's field, a public burial place, especially in a city, for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals; -- so named from the field south of Jerusalem, ment…

Predominant; prevalent; most general; as, the prevailing disease of a climate; a prevailing opinion.

The quality or condition of being prevalent; superior strength, force, or influence; general existence, reception, or practice; wide extension; as, the prevalence of virtue, of a fashion, or of a disease; the prevalence of a rumor. The duke better knew what kind of argument were of prevalence with him. Clarendon.…