prevenient

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English

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Etymology

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See prevenience.

Adjective

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prevenient (comparative more prevenient, superlative most prevenient)

  1. Relating to prevenience; anticipatory.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. [], London: [] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker []; [a]nd by Robert Boulter []; [a]nd Matthias Walker, [], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: [], London: Basil Montagu Pickering [], 1873, →OCLC, lines 3–8:
      Prevenient Grace deſcending had remov'd / The ſtonie from thir hearts, and made new fleſh / Regenerat grow inſtead, that ſighs now breath'd / Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer / Inſpir'd, and wing'd for Heav'n with ſpeedier flight / Then loudeſt Oratorie: []
    • 1979, Cormac McCarthy, Suttree, Random House, page 22:
      They drank and bet and muttered in an air of electric transiency, old men in gaitered sleeves galvanized from some stained sepia, posting time at cards prevenient of their dimly augured doom.

Derived terms

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