predominari

Predominari is a Latin verb meaning to predominate, prevail, or be predominant. It is generally treated as a deponent verb, so its forms are passive in appearance but active in meaning. The infinitive is predominari, and in grammar references it is described as belonging to the set of deponent verbs whose meanings are active despite their passive morphology.

Grammatical usage and meaning: Predominari describes situations in which one element holds sway relative to others, such as power, influence, frequency, or prominence. It is used in both narrative and expository prose to indicate that one factor is more important or widespread than another. In Latin sentences, the subject that predominates is typically the focus of the predication, with the comparison implied rather than stated in every case.

Etymology and relations: The term derives from the Latin root domin- (to rule) with a prefix that intensifies sense, yielding a notion of standing before or above others. It has descendants in the Romance languages, such as Italian predominare, and in English in the verb predominate and the adjective predominant. The Latin form is sometimes cited in discussions of deponent verbs and of historiographical or rhetorical diction.

See also: Predominance, Dominance, Preponderance. In study of Latin vocabulary, predominari is cited as an example of a deponent verb whose meaning is active despite its passive form, illustrating the complexity of Latin verbal morphology.

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