Prevail

How to spell prevail

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce prevail

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does prevail mean?

1. verbTo prove more powerful than opposing forces and succeed in the end.
2. verbTo be the most common or generally accepted condition in a place or time.

Prevail in a sentence

• Despite the setbacks, the defence team expected justice to prevail.

• Cold, damp conditions tend to prevail across the valley in winter.

• Good sense should prevail over short-term panic in the boardroom.

• Old-fashioned working habits still prevail in some smaller firms.

Where does prevail come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Prevail comes from the Latin praevalere, which combined prae meaning 'before' or 'in front' with valere meaning 'to be strong' or 'to have power'. The literal sense was therefore 'to be stronger' or 'to have the greater power', and from that came the idea of one side proving superior over another. English took the word in the late 1300s, partly through Old French, and used it both for triumphing in a contest and for a thing being widespread or generally in force. The valere root is a productive one: it also gives us 'valid', 'value', and 'valiant', all carrying that same underlying notion of strength or worth. Knowing that the second syllable is the strength-word vail (not the veil you wear or the vale you walk through) is the surest way to remember the spelling.

How the word is built

• pre- (before, in front)
• vail (from Latin valere: to be strong)