Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - predilection

 noun  Etymology: French predilection, from Medieval Latin praediligere to love more, prefer, from Latin prae- + diligere to love — more at diligent  Date: 1742 an established preference for something Synonyms:  ~, prepossession, prejudice, bias mean an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something. ~ implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience a ~ for travel. prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it a prepossession against technology. prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar. bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing a strong bias toward the plaintiff.