The Collaborative International Dictionary
Prefer \Pre*fer"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Preferred; p. pr. & vb. n. Preferring.] [F. pr['e]f['e]rer, L. praeferre; prae before + ferre to bear or carry. See 1st Bear.]
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To carry or bring (something) forward, or before one; hence, to bring for consideration, acceptance, judgment, etc.; to offer; to present; to proffer; to address; -- said especially of a request, prayer, petition, claim, charge, etc.
He spake, and to her hand preferred the bowl.
--Pope.Presently prefer his suit to C[ae]sar.
--Shak.Three tongues prefer strange orisons on high.
--Byron. To go before, or be before, in estimation; to outrank; to surpass. [Obs.] ``Though maidenhood prefer bigamy.''
--Chaucer.-
To cause to go before; hence, to advance before others, as to an office or dignity; to raise; to exalt; to promote; as, to prefer an officer to the rank of general.
I would prefer him to a better place.
--Shak. -
To set above or before something else in estimation, favor, or liking; to regard or honor before another; to hold in greater favor; to choose rather; -- often followed by to, before, or above.
If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
--Ps. cxxxvii. 6.Preferred an infamous peace before a most just war.
--Knolles.Preferred stock, stock which takes a dividend before other capital stock; -- called also preference stock and preferential stock.
Syn: To choose; elect. See Choose.
Wiktionary
n. (context finance English) Stock with a dividend, usually fixed, that is paid out of profits before any dividend can be paid on common stock and that has priority to common stock in liquidation.
WordNet
n. stock whose holders are guaranteed priority in the payment of dividends but whose holders have no voting rights [syn: preferred shares, preference shares]
Wikipedia
Preferred stock (also called preferred shares, preference shares or simply preferreds) is a type of stock which may have any combination of features not possessed by common stock including properties of both an equity and a debt instrument, and is generally considered a hybrid instrument. Preferred stocks are senior (i.e., higher ranking) to common stock, but subordinate to bonds in terms of claim (or rights to their share of the assets of the company) and may have priority over common stock (ordinary shares) in the payment of dividends and upon liquidation. Terms of the preferred stock are described in the articles of association.
Like bonds, preferred stocks are rated by the major credit-rating companies. The rating for preferreds is generally lower than for bonds because preferred dividends do not carry the same guarantees as interest payments from bonds and because preferred-stock holders' claims are junior to those of all creditors.
Usage examples of "preferred stock".
Some of the words I defined for my readers were: common stock, preferred stock, bonds, municipal bonds, debentures, margin, selling short, puts and calls, living trust, joint tenancy, tenants in common, float, load, points, deficiency judgement, call money, prime rate, gold standard, flat money, easement, fee simple, eminent domain, public domain, copyright, patent, etc.
The common and preferred stock prices were leapfrogging past each other in their steady progress downhill.
He and I and Jenny control the company, since he was careful to issue preferred stock and to float bonds rather than surrender control.
When it is time to produce the next offspring, we call up the DNA strings and produce another copy of the preferred stock.