prepared
1090
building plans? | [+to-v] They are busy preparing to go on
holiday. 4 [i;T(for)] to put (oneself) into a suitable state of
mind for something: Prepare (yourself) for a shock. | [+to-v]
Prepare to die, you cowardly traitor! | [+obj+to-v] He prepared
himself to accept defeat.
pre·pared /prɪˈpeəd||-ˈpeərd/ adj 1 made in advance: The
chairman read out a prepared statement. 2 [F+to-v] willing:
I'm not prepared to listen to all your weak excuses. 3 [F+for]
expecting: I wasn't prepared for such a large bill. 4 Be
prepared the MOTTO of the BOY SCOUTS, often used humor-
ously when saying that a person should carry a particular
thing with them because it might be useful
pre·pared·ness /prɪˈpeədnəs,ˌ -ˈpeəd-||-ˈpeərd-,
-ˈpeərd-/ n [U] (the state of being ready for something: the
country's lack of military preparedness
pre·pay /ˌpriːˈpeɪ/ v -paid /ˈpeɪd/ [T] to pay for (something)
in advance: All accommodation must be prepaid.
pre·pon·de·rance /prɪˈpɒndərəns||-ˈpɑn-/ n [S[oft] fml the
state of being greater in amount, number etc: There was a
preponderance of female students in the music department.
(=there were more females than males) → compare PREDOMI-
NANT —rant adj [(over)] —rantly adv
pre·pon·de·rate /prɪˈpɒndəreɪt||-ˈpɑːn-/ v [I(over)] fml to be
greater in quantity, importance, influence etc
prep·o·si·tion /ˌprepəzɪʃən/ n a word used with a noun,
PRONOUN, or -ing form to show its connection with another
word. In 'a house made of wood' and 'We opened it by
breaking the lock', 'of' and 'by' are prepositions. —al adj
—ally adv: In 'He went out of the door', 'out' is being used
prepositionally.
,prepositional 'phrase n tech a phrase consisting of a
preposition and the noun following it (such as in bed, in his
bed, in the bed)
pre·pos·sessed /ˌpriːpəˈ zest/ adj [F] fml 1 [+by] favourably
influenced 2 PREOCCUPIED —session /ˈzeʃən/ n [C,U]
pre·pos·sess·ing /ˌpriːpəˈzesɪŋ/ adj fml apprec producing a
favourable effect at once; attractive: a prepossessing smile →
opposite UNPREPOSSESSING
pre·pos·ter·ous /prɪˈpɒstərəs||-ˈpɑs-/ adj fml 1 completely
unreasonable; ABSURD: What a preposterous sugges-
tion! 2 foolish in a way that makes people laugh: Look at
that preposterous car – 25 feet long and covered in chromium!
—ly adv
prep·py /ˈprepi/ adj AmE infml typical of students or former
students of expensive private schools in the US, especially in
being neat and well-dressed: a preppy girl | preppy clothes | a
bar that caters for the rich preppy set
'prep school n infml for PREPARATORY SCHOOL
pre·quel /ˈpriːkwəl/ n [C] a book, television programme etc
that tells you what happened before the story that is told in
a popular book or film
Pre-Raph·ael·ite /ˌpriː ˈræfəlaɪt||-fiəlart/ n a member of a
group of 19th century British artists (the Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood) whose aim was to return to a style of painting
of the late MIDDLE AGES. They loved nature and disliked
modern industrial development. Their paintings often show
scenes from the Bible or from literature, and they used the
bright colours and small details typical of Italian painting
before the artist RAPHAEL. Members of this group included
Dante Gabriel ROSSETTI, William MORRIS and Edward BURNE-
JONES. —Pre-Raphaelite adj
pre·re·cord /ˌpriːrɪˈkɔːd||-ˈkɔːrd/ v [T] to record (music, a
play, a speech etc) on a machine for later use
pre·req·ui·site /prɪˈrekwɪzɪt/ n [(of, for, to)] fml something
that is necessary before something else can happen or be
done: A reasonable proficiency in English is a prerequisite
of/for joining this advanced course.
pre·rog·a·tive /prɪˈrɒɡətv||-ˈrɑː-/ n [C usually sing.] a special
right belonging to a particular person, especially because of
the official position they hold: The President may use his
prerogative to pardon a criminal. → compare PRIVILEGE; see
also ROYAL PREROGATIVE
pres. written abbrev. for 1 present 2 (usually cap.) president
pres·age¹ /ˈpresɪdʒ, prɪˈseɪdʒ/ v [T not in progressive forms] fml or
lit to be a warning or sign of (a future event)
pres·age² /ˈpresɪdʒ/ n [(of)] lit a warning feeling or sign that
something, especially something bad, will happen
Pres·by·te·ri·an /ˌprezbˈtɪəriən/ n a member of the Pres-
byterian Church, a PROTESTANT Christian Church that is one
of the largest in the US and is the national church of
Scotland. Most of the Protestants in Northern Ireland are
Presbyterians. It is governed by a group of people called
ELDERS who are all of equal rank, and has strict rules about
behaviour and morals based on the principles of John
CALVIN. John KNOX established the Presbyterian Church in
Scotland in the 16th century, and it has had a great
influence on Scottish society. Presbyterians are typically
thought of as rather strict, serious people. —Presbyterian
adj —Presbyterianism n [U]
pres·by·ter·y /ˈprezbɪtəri||-teri/ n 1 (in the Presbyterian
Church) (the area controlled by) a local court or ruling
body 2 (in the Roman Catholic Church) the house in which
a local priest lives 3 the eastern part of a church, behind the
place where the CHOIR (=trained singers) sit
pre·school¹ /ˌpriːˈskuːl/ adj [A] of or in the time in a
child's life before he goes to school
pre·school² /ˈpriːskuːl/ n AmE for NURSERY SCHOOL
pre·school·er /ˈpriːskuːlə/ n AmE a child who does not yet
go to school
,pre·school 'playgroup n PLAYGROUP
pre·sci·ent /ˈpreʃənt/ adj lit or fml able to imagine or guess
what will probably happen —ence n [U]
Pres·cott, John /ˈpreskɒt/ (1938–) a British politician in the
Labour Party. He became Deputy Prime Minister in 1997. He
is thought of as being less MIDDLE CLASS and more LEFT
WING than many of the leading people in the Labour Party,
although he is sometimes known as 'two jags' because he
likes Jaguar cars and has two of them.
pre·scribe /prɪˈskrab/ v [i;T(for)] 1 to say (what medicine or
treatment) a sick person should or must have: What can you
prescribe for the pain in my back, doctor? 2 fml to state (what
must happen or be done in certain conditions): What
punishment does the law prescribe for this crime? | [+wh-]
Someone who does such foolish things as you has no right to
prescribe how others should behave. → compare PROSCRIBE
pre·scribed /prɪˈskraɪbd/ adj fixed (as if) by rule: It's quite
an informal job; you don't have to work a prescribed number
of hours.
pre·script /ˈpriːˌskrɪpt/ n fml an order or rule that is pre-
scribed (PRESCRIBE)
pre·scrip·tion /prɪˈskrɪpʃən/ n 1 [C(for)] a) a particular
medicine or treatment ordered by a doctor for a person's
illness: (fig.) What's your prescription for a happy marriage?
(=What do you suggest is needed to make a marriage
happy?) b) a written order describing this, which is given to
a person by his or her doctor (in Britain, a GP) and is then
taken to a CHEMIST (BrE) or PHARMACIST (AmE) who will supply
the medicine described in it. There are certain drugs and
medicines which chemists are not allowed to sell to people
without prescriptions. 2 [U] the act of prescribing
pre'scription ,charge n [usually pl.] (in Britain) an amount
of money that has to be paid (usually to a CHEMIST) when
getting medicine through the National Health Service. These
charges increased in the 1980s but still do not represent the
full cost of the medicine. Certain groups of people, e.g.
children, old people, and the unemployed, do not have to
pay. In the US, people have to pay the full amount for any
medicine that they need.
pre·scrip·tive /prɪˈskrɪptɪv/ adj 1 tech, sometimes derog saying
how a language ought to be used, rather than simply
describing how it is used: prescriptive grammar → compare
DESCRIPTIVE 2 fml saying how something should be done or
what someone should do —tivism n [U] —tivist n —ly
adv
pre,scriptive 'right n law a right to do something which
has existed for so long by custom that it has the force of law
pre·seas·on /ˈpriːˌsiːzən/ adj [A] relating to the time before
the usual sports season has begun: preseason training →
opposite POSTSEASON —preseason n [sing]
pres·ence /ˈprezəns/ n 1 [U] the fact of being present: She
was so quiet that her presence was hardly noticed. | You