English

Noun

prevalency ‎(uncountable)

1. prevalence
   • 1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume I.:

     To break in upon the sanctuary of vanity and ignorance will be, I suppose, some service to human understanding; though so few are apt to think they deceive or are deceived in the use of words; or that the language of the sect they are of has any faults in it which ought to be examined or corrected, that I hope I shall be pardoned if I have in the Third Book dwelt long on this subject, and endeavoured to make it so plain, that neither the inveterateness of the mischief, nor the prevalency of the fashion, shall be any excuse for those who will not take care about the meaning of their own words, and will not suffer the significancy of their expressions to be inquired into.

   • 1848, David Walker and Henry Highland Garnet, Walker's Appeal, with a Brief Sketch of His Life:

     I promiscuously fell in a conversation once, with an elderly colored man on the topics of education, and of the great prevalency of ignorance among us: Said he, "I know that our people are very ignorant but my son has a good education: he can write as well as any white man, and I assure you that no one can fool him," etc.

   • 1914, Grant Hague, The Eugenic Marriage, Volume IV. (of IV.):

     Because of its prevalency many mothers treat it with less respect than they should, with the result that fatal complications occur, or the future health of the child is permanently injured. 3.