<B>prestidigitation, </B>noun. <B>=sleight of hand.</B></DL>
<A NAME="prestidigitational">
<B>prestidigitational, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with prestidigitation. </DL>
<A NAME="prestidigitator">
<B>prestidigitator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in sleight of hand; conjurer. <BR> <I>Ex. [They are] watching a prestidigitator, and waiting to see what cute little animal will pop out of his hat next (Howard Taubman).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prestige">
<B>prestige, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> reputation, influence, or distinction based on what is known of one's abilities, achievements, opportunities, or associations. <BR> <I>Ex. His prestige rose when the boys learned that his father was a ship's captain. After Napoleon's first battles, prestige did half his work for him (George Meredith). Thus it happened that while by the end of the reign the power of the sovereign had appreciably diminished, the prestige of the sovereign had enormously grown. (Lytton Strachey).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> prestigious. <BR> <I>Ex. Founding a prestige college is almost like trying for artificially aged wine (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<B>prestigious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having prestige. <BR> <I>Ex. The holder of the most prestigious job in journalism today is ... the TV critic (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) practicing or involving magic or jugglery; deceptive. adv. <B>prestigiously.</B> noun <B>prestigiousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="prestissimo">
<B>prestissimo, </B>adverb, adjective, noun, pl. <B>-mos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) <DD><I>adv., adj. </I> very quick (used as a direction). <DD><I>noun </I> a very quick part. </DL>
<A NAME="presto">
<B>presto, </B>adverb, adjective, noun, pl. <B>-tos,</B> interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adv. </I> very quickly (used especially as a musical direction). <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>(Music.) very quick. <DD><B> 2. </B>quick; sudden. <BR> <I>Ex. with the presto agility of a magician.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a very quick part in a piece of music. <DD><I>interj. </I> right away; at once (an exclamation used to express quick or sudden action). <BR> <I>Ex. Then--presto!--the job was done. Drive several miles down the turnpike, around a cloverleaf, under an overpass, over an underpass, across a throughway, through a crossway, and presto! there we are (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prestochango">
<B>presto chango,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) change immediately or suddenly, as if by magic (used as an interjection). <BR> <I>Ex. Presto chango, it is now a low table (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="prestress">
<B>prestress, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to subject (a material) to heavy internal stress in making or casting to help withstand subsequent external loads or stresses. Bricks, concrete, and structural steel are prestressed by embedding steel wires or rods that are under tension. <BR> <I>Ex. It was found that prestressing doubled the ability of one aluminum alloy, used in the aircraft industry, to carry an external load (Science News Letter). Consulting engineers said that prestressed concrete might lead to the solution of these pavement problems (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="presumable">
<B>presumable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be presumed or taken for granted; probable; likely. <BR> <I>Ex. Unless they lose their way, noon is the presumable time of their arrival.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="presumably">
<B>presumably, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> as may be reasonably supposed; probably. </DL>
<A NAME="presume">
<B>presume, </B>verb, <B>-sumed,</B> <B>-suming.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to take for granted without proving; suppose. <BR> <I>Ex. You will play out of doors, I presume, if there is sunshine. The law presumes innocence until guilt is proved.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to take upon oneself; venture; dare. <BR> <I>Ex. May I presume to tell you you are wrong? The plan which I shall presume to suggest (Edmund Burke).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to take something for granted; assume. <DD><B> 2. </B>to take an unfair advantage (on, upon). <BR> <I>Ex. Don't presume on his good nature by borrowing from him every week.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to act with improper boldness; take liberties. <BR> <I>Ex. It would be presuming to camp in a person's yard without permission.</I> noun <B>presumer.</B> adv. <B>presumingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="presumedly">
<B>presumedly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> as is or may be supposed; presumably. </DL>
<A NAME="presumption">
<B>presumption, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>unpleasant boldness. <BR> <I>Ex. It is presumption to go to a party when one has not been invited.</I> (SYN) forwardness, effrontery. <DD><B> 2a. </B>a thing taken for granted; assumption; supposition. <BR> <I>Ex. As his mouth was sticky, the presumption was that he had eaten the cake. The innocence of the accused is a necessary presumption under American law.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Law.) an inference that something not known to be true is a fact, based on the proved existence of some other fact. <DD><B> 3. </B>a cause or reason for presuming; probability. <BR> <I>Ex. The more he disliked a thing the greater the presumption that it was right (Samuel Butler).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the act of presuming. <BR> <I>Ex. This is a matter that concerns myself only, and it is presumption on his part to interfere in it (W. H.Hudson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="presumptive">
<B>presumptive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>based on likelihood; presumed. <BR> <I>Ex. a presumptive title to an estate.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>giving ground for presumption or belief. <BR> <I>Ex. The man's running away was regarded as presumptive evidence of his guilt.</I> adv. <B>presumptively.</B> </DL>
<B>presumptuous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>acting without permission or right; too bold; forward; daring too much. <BR> <I>Ex. But it is presumptuous and untrue to insist that God must back us up whatever we do (Atlantic).</I> (SYN) overbold, impudent, arrogant, presuming, impertinent. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) presumptive. adv. <B>presumptuously.</B> noun <B>presumptuousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="presuppose">
<B>presuppose, </B>transitive verb, <B>-posed,</B> <B>-posing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to take for granted in advance; assume beforehand. <BR> <I>Ex. Let's presuppose that we are going and make some plans.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to require as a condition; imply. <BR> <I>Ex. A fight presupposes fighters.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="presupposition">
<B>presupposition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the action of presupposing. <BR> <I>Ex. Acting on the presupposition that a flu epidemic will break out this winter, the Department of Health is issuing a vaccine.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the thing presupposed. <BR> <I>Ex. The detective acted upon the presupposition that the thief knew the value of the jewels. Professor Sidarov outlined the fundamental presupposition of all Soviet historical works (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="presurmise">
<B>presurmise, </B>verb, <B>-mised,</B> <B>-mising,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to surmise beforehand. <DD><I>noun </I> a surmise previously formed. </DL>
<A NAME="presynaptic">
<B>presynaptic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> occurring before a synapse. adv. <B>presynaptically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="pret">
<B>pret.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> preterit. </DL>
<A NAME="pretaporter">
<B>pret-a-porter, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) ready-to-wear. <BR> <I>Ex. pret-a-porter fashions. The [Paris] designers these days trend more to mass-market ready-to-wears, known as pret-a-porter (Time).</I> </DL>
<B>pre-teen</B> or <B>preteen, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially U.S.) <DD><I>noun </I> a person close to his teens; a boy or girl approaching adolescence. <BR> <I>Ex. The suits are for toddlers and preteens (New York Times).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> close to the teens; approaching adolescence. <BR> <I>Ex. Darlene [is] mother of two pre-teen children (A. C. Wehrwein).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="pretence">
<B>pretence, </B>noun. <B>=pretense.</B></DL>
<A NAME="pretend">
<B>pretend, </B>verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to claim falsely. <BR> <I>Ex. She pretended to like the meal so she wouldn't offend the hostess.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to claim falsely to have. <BR> <I>Ex. to pretend illness.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to claim. <BR> <I>Ex. I don't pretend to be a musician. Speak in honest language and say the minority will be in danger from the majority. And is there an assembly on earth where this danger may not be equally pretended? (Thomas Jefferson).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to make believe. <BR> <I>Ex. Let's pretend that we are soldiers.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to venture; attempt; presume. <BR> <I>Ex. I cannot pretend to judge between them.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) to extend or hold (something) in front of or over, as for concealment or defense. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make believe. <BR> <I>Ex. Kittens are not fighting when they cuff each other; they're only pretending.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to lay claim. <BR> <I>Ex. James Stuart pretended to the English throne.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to make pretensions (to). <BR> <I>Ex. a square white house pretending neither to beauty nor state (Mrs. Humphry Ward).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to aspire (to), as a candidate or suitor. <BR> <I>Ex. A ... fellow ... might pretend surely to his kinswoman's hand (Thackeray).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> pretended; feigned. <BR> <I>Ex. It is a pretend meal this evening, with nothing whatever on the table (James M. Barrie).</I> </DL>
<B>pretender, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who pretends. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who lays claim, especially falsely, to a title or throne. </DL>
