preëminence

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The state or character of being preëminent; superiority; surpassing eminence; distinction; precedence.
• noun A prerogative; a privilege; a right; a power.
• noun Synonyms Precedence, etc. See priority.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The quality or state of being preëminent; superiority in prominence or in excellence; distinction above others in quality, rank, etc.; rarely, in a bad sense, superiority or notoriety in evil.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun high status importance owing to marked superiority