preterit
or pret·er·ite
[ pret-er-it ]
nounGrammar.
in English, the simple past, or an instance or form of a specific verb in the simple past, such as ate or walked.
a verb tense, construction, or form in another language with a meaning similar to that of the simple past in English.
adjective
Grammar. designating a verb tense expressing a past action or state.
Archaic. bygone; past.
Origin of preterit
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin praeteritus “past, gone by,” past participle of praeterīre “to go by,” from praeter- preter- + īre “to go”; as tense name, from Latin (tempus) praeteritum “(time) past”
Other words from preterit
- pret·er·it·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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