Prerogative

How to spell prerogative

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce prerogative

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does prerogative mean?

1. nounA right or privilege belonging exclusively to a particular person, group, or office.

Prerogative in a sentence

• Setting the household budget was entirely her prerogative.

• Choosing the final candidate remains the manager's prerogative.

Where does prerogative come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word travels straight from the Latin praerogativa, a term that literally meant 'asked before others'. It was built from prae, meaning 'before', and rogare, meaning 'to ask', the same root that gives us 'interrogate' and 'derogatory'. In ancient Rome the praerogativa centuria was the group of voters chosen by lot to cast its ballot first in the assembly, and because that first vote often swayed the rest, the word came to suggest a special advantage or privilege. English borrowed it through Old French in the 1300s, at first for the exclusive rights of a monarch and later for any privilege belonging to a particular person or office. The buried 'rog' from rogare is the key to the spelling: remembering that it shares its core with 'interrogate' helps fix the tricky first 'r' that writers so often drop.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• rog (from Latin rogare: to ask)
• -ative (adjective/noun suffix)