Prevailing

How to spell prevailing

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce prevailing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does prevailing mean?

1. adjectiveExisting as the most common or widespread condition at a particular time.
2. adjectiveDescribing the wind that most frequently blows from a particular direction in a given place.

Prevailing in a sentence

• The report described the prevailing mood among staff after the merger.

• The prevailing wind in that valley comes from the west most of the year.

• Under prevailing market conditions, the company chose to delay the launch.

• Sailors planned the route around the prevailing breeze along the coast.

Where does prevailing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows from the verb 'prevail', which English took from the Latin praevalere, meaning 'to be stronger' or 'to have greater power'. That verb joins prae, meaning 'before' or 'in front', with valere, meaning 'to be strong' or 'to be well', the same root that gives us 'value', 'valid' and 'valiant'. English adopted 'prevail' in the late 1300s through Old French, originally with the sense of one side overpowering another in a contest or struggle. From the idea of a force winning out came the gentler modern meaning of something being widespread or dominant at a given moment, and the participle 'prevailing' settled into use as an adjective by the 1500s. The spelling trap lies in the buried 'ai' that sounds like a long 'a', plus the single 'l', both inherited straight from valere.

How the word is built

• pre- (before, in front)
• vail (from Latin valere: to be strong)
• -ing (present-participle/adjective suffix)