preterit

1 of 2

adjective

pret·​er·​it ˈpre-tə-rət 

variants or preterite

archaic

: bygone, former

preterit

2 of 2

noun

variants or preterite

: past tense

Did you know?

The original form of this word, which dates to Middle English, has no final "e," but preterite, as it appears in our second example, is another accepted styling of the word. Like many technical linguistic terms, preterit is ultimately Latin in origin: it comes from praeter, meaning "beyond, past, by." (This meaning is also apparent in the now-archaic adjectival use of preterit to mean "bygone" or "former.") Another word from praeter is preternatural, from the Latin phrase praeter naturam, meaning "beyond nature." That word is typically used to describe what is so unusual or extraordinary as to seem outside of what can be accounted for by nature.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English preterit, from Anglo-French, from Latin praeteritus, from past participle of praeterire to go by, pass, from praeter beyond, past, by (from comparative of prae before) + ire to go — more at for, issue entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

preterit

noun

pret·​er·​it

variants or preterite

ˈpret-ə-rət

: past tense