Meanings
- obsoleteuncountableThe act of anticipating another's wishes, desires, etc., by way of favour or courtesy; obligingness.
His prevenancy was always his passport, and his wants were easily supplied
1823, “Prefatory Memoir to Sterne”, in The Novels of Sterne, Goldsmith, Dr. Johnson, MacKenzie, Horace Walpole, and Clara Reeve, page xi3 more examples
La Fleur's prevenancy (for there was a passport in his very looks) soon set every servant in the kitchen at ease with him
1768, Mr. Yorick [pseudonym; Laurence Sterne], A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, volume I, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, […], →OCLCVirginia says with prevenancy: “Maybe it will help us think of something to do?” “Maybe.”
2002, James Michael Faries, Buck, United States of America: Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 174your most pretty prevenancy in plying us with so wonderfully filling and ambrosial a feast
2012 July 28, Luke Indran, Extonare: A Breath of Fancy, Lulu.com, →ISBN
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
- Proto-Italic*prai
- Proto-Italic*prai-
- Latinprae-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷem-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷm̥yéti
- Proto-Italic*gʷəniō
- Latinveniō
- Latinpraeveniō
- Frenchprévenir
- Frenchprévenance
- Englishprevenance
- Englishprevenancy
From prevenance (“a going before, anticipation in sequence or order”) + -y.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prevenancy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
prevenancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenancy
“prevenancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenancy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prevenancy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenancy.
Source: prevenancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.