-t ə nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin praepotent-, praepotens, present participle of praeposse to be more powerful, from prae- pre- + posse to be able — more at potent
1.
a. : having exceptional power, authority, or influence : preeminent
had long been prepotent as an influence in taste and practice — F.R.Leavis
b. : exceeding others in power : superior
the soul may be seen as prepotent over mere things — Weston La Barre
2. : exhibiting genetic prepotency : dominant
3. : having priority over other response tendencies especially by virtue of maturational primacy, recentness of emission or evocation, repetition with positive reinforcement, or greater motivational charge
the prepotent response is that with the greatest immediately effective habit strength
• pre·po·tent·ly adverb