prejudice

• præjudice (obsolete)
• p͛judice (abbreviation, obsolete)

From Middle English prejudice, from Old French prejudice, derived from Latin praeiūdicium (“previous judgment or damage”), from prae- (“before”) + iūdicium (“judgment”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛd͡ʒədɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: prej‧u‧dice

prejudice (countable and uncountable, plural prejudices)

1. (countable) An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter VII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     Though often misled by prejudice and passion, he was emphatically an honest man.

2. (countable) A preconception, any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.

   Morality is but a prejudice.

3. (countable) An irrational hostile attitude, fear or hatred towards a particular group, race or religion.

   I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally.

   • 1816, Jane Austen, Emma:

     "I did not thoroughly understand what you were telling your brother," cried Emma, "about your friend Mr. Graham's intending to have a bailiff from Scotland, to look after his new estate. But will it answer? Will not the old prejudice be too strong?"

4. (obsolete) Knowledge formed in advance; foresight, presaging.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     […] the first did in the forepart sit, / That nought mote hinder his quicke preiudize: / He had a sharpe foresight, and working wit […]

5. (chiefly obsolete) Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment.
   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     England and France might, through their amity, / Breed him some prejudice.

   • a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662, →OCLC:

     For Pens, so usefull for Scholars to note the remarkables they read, with an impression easily deleble without prejudice to the Book.

   • 1702, John Locke, translated by W. Popple, A Letter concerning Toleration […] :

     for no injury is thereby done to any one, no prejudice to another man's goods

   • 1793, Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin‎^[1], §20:

     We both of us happen’d to know, as well as the Stationer, that Riddlesden the Attorney, was a very Knave. He had half ruin’d Miss Read’s Father by drawing him in to be bound for him. By his Letter it appear’d, there was a secret Scheme on foot to the Prejudice of Hamilton, (Suppos’d to be then coming over with us,) and that Keith was concern’d in it with Riddlesden. [...]

prejudice (third-person singular simple present prejudices, present participle prejudicing, simple past and past participle prejudiced)

1. (transitive) To have a negative impact on (someone's position, chances etc.).
2. (transitive) To cause prejudice in; to bias the mind of.

• prejudge
• prejudiced

prejudice

1. Pronunciation spelling of prejudiced, representing African-American Vernacular English.
   • 1965, Bel Kaufman, Up the Down Staircase:

     I’m not what you call an “A” student but I don’t mind school at lease it takes me away from home but the teachers are too prejudice they are mostly Whites and I never got a fair mark out of them.

• bias
• discrimination
• hatred
• racism
• stereotype

Borrowed from Latin praeiudicium.

prejudice oblique singular, f (oblique plural prejudices, nominative singular prejudice, nominative plural prejudices)

1. (chiefly law) harm; damage
2. (chiefly law) prejudgment; prejudice

• English: prejudice
• French: préjudice