preponderate

Etymology

From Latin praeponderatus, past participle of praeponderāre (“to outweigh”).

preponderate means to outweigh; to be heavier than; to exceed in weight. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.

Why “preponderate” is a great word

PREPONDERATE — [Verb] To exceed in weight, influence, or importance. From Latin praeponderatus, past participle of praeponderāre ("to outweigh"), from prae- ("before, in front") + ponderāre ("to weigh"). First attested in English 1610-1625. Unlike "predominate," which suggests a conspicuous superiority in number or prevalence, or "outweigh," a more common term for simple excess, to preponderate is to tip a balance decisively through accumulated, often formal, gravity. It is the cold, brass weight settling the pan of a chemist's scale; the unanswerable logic that turns a jury's doubt into a verdict; the last damp log placed on a laden sledge that makes the runners groan—a quiet accrual of substance that becomes an irrevocable fact, for gravity, in any form, always wins.

verb

To outweigh; to be heavier than; to exceed in weight.“an inconsiderable weight by virtue of its distance from the Centre of the Ballance, will preponderate much greater magnitudes”
To overpower by stronger or moral power.“That is the preponderating consideration to which everything else has to yield.”
To cause to prefer; to incline; to decide.“The desire to spare Christian blood preponderates him for peace.”
To exceed in weight or influence; hence, to predominate.“Anxiety preponderated over hope; and it was scarcely possible for Evelyn to encounter a danger not previously conjured up by the alarmed fancy of his mistress.”