Etymograph

English

prevalency

Prevalency comes from Latin praevalēns ‘dominant, superior’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraevalēns1as praevalentia‘dominant, superior’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1684prevalency1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English prevalency
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1684, John Bunyan, London: […] Nathaniel Ponder […]: “Now Chriſtian looked for nothing but death, and began…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraevalēnsWiktionary, English prevalencyas praevalentia‘dominant, superior’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1684prevalencyWiktionary, English prevalency. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1684, John Bunyan, London: […] Nathaniel Ponder […]: “Now Chriſtian looked for nothing but death, and began…”

Formed from prevalent + -ency

Latin praevalēns ‘dominant, superior’

English prevalent

Every English word from Latin praevalēns

Today it means

noun prevalence

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prevalency”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin praevalēns / prevalency

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