# prejudice
## English
### Alternative forms

* præjudice (obsolete)
* p͛judice (abbreviation, obsolete)

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpɹɛd͡ʒədɪs/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: prej‧u‧dice

### Noun

prejudice (countable and uncountable, plural prejudices)
* (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.
* (countable) A preconception, any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.
    Morality is but a prejudice.
* (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.
* (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 […]
* (chiefly obsolete) Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment.
** 1793, Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin‎, §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. [...]
** 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
** 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.

#### Derived terms

* (law) with prejudice – precluding subsequent action
* (law) without prejudice – without affecting a legal interest
* in prejudice of – to the detriment or injury of
* to the prejudice of – with resulting harm to
* with extreme prejudice – with lethal force
** terminate with extreme prejudice
* prejudicious
* self-prejudice

#### Related terms

* misprejudiced
* prejudge
* prejudicate

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

prejudice (third-person singular simple present prejudices, present participle prejudicing, simple past and past participle prejudiced)
* (transitive) To have a negative impact on (someone's position, chances etc.).
* (transitive) To cause prejudice in; to bias the mind of.

#### Related terms

* prejudge
* prejudiced

#### Translations
### Adjective

prejudice
* Misspelling of prejudiced.

### See also

* bias
* discrimination
* hatred
* racism
* stereotype

## Old French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praeiudicium.

### Noun

prejudice oblique singular, f (oblique plural prejudices, nominative singular prejudice, nominative plural prejudices)
* (chiefly law) harm; damage
* (chiefly law) prejudgment; prejudice

#### Descendants

* English: prejudice
* French: préjudice