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preterit

 - 2 dictionary results

pret⋅er⋅it

  [pret-er-it]
Use preterit in a Sentence
–noun Grammar.
1. past (def. 12).
2. a preterit tense.
3. a verb form in this tense.
–adjective
4. Grammar. noting a past action or state.
5. Archaic. bygone; past.
Also, pret⋅er⋅ite.

Origin:
1300–50; ME < L praeteritus past, ptp. of praeterīre to go by, equiv. to praeter- preter- + -i-, base of īre to go + -tus ptp. suffix; as tense name < L (tempus) praeteritum

Related forms:
pret⋅er⋅it⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To preterit
pret·er·ite or pret·er·it   (prět'ər-ĭt)   
adj.  Of, relating to, or being the verb tense that describes a past action or state.
n.  

  1. The verb form expressing or describing a past action or condition.

  2. A verb in the preterite form.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin (tempus) praeteritum, past (tense), neuter past participle of praeterīre, to go by : praeter, beyond, comparative of prae, before; see per1 in Indo-European roots + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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