prevailing

Prevailing is an adjective meaning existing, most common, or widespread at a given time. It is often used to describe conditions, beliefs, or practices that are dominant or accepted as standard, such as the prevailing opinion, the prevailing weather, or prevailing fashion in a region.

As a verb, prevail means to succeed, win, or prove superior. It can refer to overcoming obstacles, or to persuasion within an argument. Example: "The defense prevailed in court" or "Reason and evidence prevailed in the debate."

Etymology and usage: Prevailing derives from Latin praevalere "to be strong beforehand," via Old French prevailer and Middle English. The form prevailing is the present participle. Common collocations include prevailing wind, prevailing mood, and prevailing wage.

Legal and technical senses: The term prevailing wage describes the standard compensation for work on public projects, used to ensure competitive wages. In meteorology, prevailing winds refer to the most common direction of wind in a region. In general writing, prevailing is a neutral descriptor for what is current or widespread.