Prevalence

Definition

Prevalence typically refers to "the fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness or widespread occurrence."

Parts of Speech

• Noun: prevalence

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈprɛvələns/
• Respelling: PREV-uh-ləns (with "PREV" as in "prevent," "uh" as in "cup," and "ləns" as in "lens")

British English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈprɛvələns/
• Respelling: PREV-uh-ləns (similar to American English, with "PREV" as in "prevent," "uh" as in "cup," and "ləns" as in "lens")

In both dialects, "prevalence" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, "PREV." The pronunciation remains consistent across both American and British English, clearly articulating the word with emphasis on the "PREV" part.

Etymology

"Prevalence" originates from the Latin "praevalentia", from "praevalens", the present participle of "praevalere", which means "to be very strong." It is related to the term "prevail."

Derivatives

• Prevalent
• Prevalently
• Non-prevalence
• Prevalence rate
• Hyper-prevalence

Synonyms

• Ubiquity
• Commonness
• Pervasiveness

Antonyms

• Rarity
• Infrequency
• Scarceness

Usage

"Prevalence" is most commonly used in epidemiology to refer to the proportion of a population that has a specific characteristic, condition, or disease at a specific point in time or over a specified period. It can also be used more broadly to describe the widespread presence or occurrence of a particular thing.

Related Terms

• Incidence
• Epidemic
• Prevalent
• Endemic
• Commonality

Detailed Definition

Noun

• The fact or condition of being common or widespread; the degree to which something is prevalent.
• Example: "The prevalence of smoking has decreased in recent years."

• In epidemiology, the total number of cases of a disease in a given population at a specific time.
• Example: "The prevalence of diabetes is rising globally."