pref|er|en|tial /pre fəre nʃ ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you get preferential treatment, you are treated better than other people and therefore have an advantage over them. □ Despite her status, the Duchess will not be given preferential treatment.
pre|fer|ment /pr I fɜː r mənt/ (preferments ) N‑VAR Preferment is the act of being given a better and more important job in an organization. [FORMAL ] □ He was told by the governors that he could expect no further preferment.
pref|e rred sto ck
1 N‑UNCOUNT Preferred stock is the same as preference shares . [AM , BUSINESS ]
2 → see also common stock
pre|fig|ure /priː f I gə r , [AM ] -gjər/ (prefigures , prefiguring , prefigured ) VERB If one thing prefigures another, it is a first indication which suggests or determines that the second thing will happen. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …the 19th-century photographer, inventor and showman who pioneered photographic techniques that prefigured modern cinema.
pre|fix /priː f I ks/ (prefixes )
1 N‑COUNT A prefix is a letter or group of letters, for example 'un-' or 'multi-', which is added to the beginning of a word in order to form a different word. For example, the prefix 'un-' is added to 'happy' to form 'unhappy'. Compare affix and suffix .
2 N‑COUNT A prefix is one or more numbers or letters added to the beginning of a code number to indicate, for example, what area something belongs to. □ To telephone from the U.S. use the prefix 011 33 before the numbers given here.
pre|fixed /priː f I kst/ V-PASSIVE A word or code number that is prefixed by one or more letters or numbers has them as its prefix. □ [be V -ed + by ] Sulphur-containing compounds are often prefixed by the term 'thio'. □ [be V -ed + with ] Calls to Dublin should be prefixed with 003531.
preg|nan|cy ◆◇◇ /pre gnənsi/ (pregnancies ) N‑VAR Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or the period of time during which a female is pregnant. □ The cream is safe to use during pregnancy. □ She was exhausted by eight pregnancies in 13 years. COLLOCATIONS pregnancy NOUN 1
adjective + pregnancy : healthy, normal, successful; difficult, ectopic, high-risk; teenage, unplanned, unwanted
verb + pregnancy : confirm, continue; avoid, prevent; end, terminate
pre g|nan|cy test (pregnancy tests ) N‑COUNT A pregnancy test is a medical test which women have to find out if they have become pregnant.
preg|nant ◆◇◇ /pre gnənt/
1 ADJ If a woman or female animal is pregnant , she has a baby or babies developing in her body. □ She got pregnant soon after they married. □ Tina was pregnant with her first child. □ …a pregnant woman.
2 ADJ [ADJ n, v-link ADJ with n] A pregnant silence or moment has a special meaning which is not obvious but which people are aware of. □ There was a long, pregnant silence.
pre|heat /priː hiː t/ (preheats , preheating , preheated ) VERB If you preheat an oven, you switch it on and allow it to reach a certain temperature before you put food inside it. □ [V n] Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. □ [V -ed] Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
pre|his|tor|ic /priː h I stɒ r I k, [AM ] -tɔː r-/ ADJ Prehistoric people and things existed at a time before information was written down. □ …the famous prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux.
pre|his|to|ry /priː h I stəri/ also pre-history N‑UNCOUNT Prehistory is the time in history before any information was written down.
pre -indu strial in AM, usually use preindustrial ADJ [ADJ n] Pre-industrial refers to the time before machines were introduced to produce goods on a large scale. □ …the transition from pre-industrial to industrial society.
pre|judge /priː dʒʌ dʒ/ (prejudges , prejudging , prejudged ) VERB If you prejudge a situation, you form an opinion about it before you know all the facts. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They tried to prejudge the commission's findings. [Also V ]
preju|dice /pre dʒʊd I s/ (prejudices , prejudicing , prejudiced )
1 N‑VAR Prejudice is an unreasonable dislike of a particular group of people or things, or a preference for one group of people or things over another. □ There is widespread prejudice against workers over 45. □ He said he hoped the Swiss authorities would investigate the case thoroughly and without prejudice.
2 VERB If you prejudice someone or something, you influence them so that they are unfair in some way. □ [V n] I think your South American youth has prejudiced you. □ [V be V -ed] He claimed his case would be prejudiced if it became known he was refusing to answer questions.
3 VERB If someone prejudices another person's situation, they do something which makes it worse than it should be. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Her study was not in any way intended to prejudice the future development of the college.
4 PHRASE If you take an action without prejudice to an existing situation, your action does not change or harm that situation. [FORMAL ] □ We accept the outcome of the inquiry, without prejudice to the unsettled question of territorial waters.
preju|diced /pre dʒʊd I st/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A person who is prejudiced against someone has an unreasonable dislike of them. A person who is prejudiced in favour of someone has an unreasonable preference for them. □ Some landlords and landladies are racially prejudiced.