prévaloir

to prevail

verb preh-vah-LWAHR Rare

Origin: From Latin 'praevalere' (to be stronger), from 'prae-' + 'valere' (to be strong).

Also means

to assert oneself

Usage Note

Prévaloir is an irregular verb conjugated largely like valoir, except in the present subjunctive, where it forms que je prévale rather than the vaille of valoir. The reflexive se prévaloir de means to take advantage of or to invoke a right — il se prévaut de son expérience (he asserts his experience as an advantage). It is formal and literary in register.

Examples

"Son avis finit par prévaloir lors du vote."

Natural Translation

His opinion ended up prevailing in the vote.

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