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pre·pon·der·ate

(prĭ-pŏndə-rāt′)

intr.v. pre·pon·der·at·ed, pre·pon·der·at·ing, pre·pon·der·ates

1. To be greater than something else, as in power, force, quantity, or importance; predominate: “In balancing his faults with his perfections, the latter seemed rather to preponderate” (Henry Fielding).

2. Archaic To exceed something else in weight.

adj. (-dər-ĭt)

Preponderant.

[Latin praeponderāre, praeponderāt-, to outweigh, preponderate : prae-, pre- + ponderāre, to weigh; see (s)pen- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

pre·ponder·ate·ly adv.

pre·pon′der·ation n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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