PREJUDICE

bias, prejudice, preconception

(noun) a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

prejudice, prepossess

(verb) influence (somebody’s) opinion in advance

prejudice

(verb) disadvantage by prejudice

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

prejudice (countable and uncountable, plural prejudices)

(countable) An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts.

(countable) Any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.

(countable) An irrational hostile attitude, fear or hatred towards a particular group, race or religion.

(obsolete) Knowledge formed in advance; foresight, presaging.

(obsolete) Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment.

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.

Source: Wiktionary

Prej"u*dice n. Etym: [F. préjudice, L. praejudicium; prae before + judicium judgment. See Prejudicate, Judicial.]

1. Foresight. [Obs.] Naught might hinder his quick prejudize. Spenser.

2. An opinion or judgment formed without due examination; prejudgment; a leaning toward one side of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection for, or objection against, anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything, without just grounds, or before sufficient knowledge. Though often misled by prejudice and passion, he was emphatically an honest man. Macaulay.

3. (Law)

Definition: A bias on the part of judge, juror, or witness which interferes with fairness of judgment.

4. Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment. Locke. England and France might, through their amity, Breed him some prejudice. Shak.

Syn.

– Prejudgment; prepossession; bias; harm; hurt; damage; detriment; mischief; disadvantage.

Prej"u*dice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prejudiced; p. pr. & vb. n. Prejudicing.] Etym: [Cf. F. préjudicier. See Prejudice, n.]

1. To cause to have prejudice; to prepossess with opinions formed without due knowledge or examination; to bias the mind of, by hasty and incorrect notions; to give an unreasonable bent to, as to one side or the other of a cause; as, to prejudice a critic or a juryman. Suffer not any beloved study to prejudice your mind so far as to despise all other learning. I. Watts

2. To obstruct or injure by prejudices, or by previous bias of the mind; hence, generally, to hurt; to damage; to injure; to impair; as, to prejudice a good cause. Seek how may prejudice the foe. Shak

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition