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preterite (adj.)
mid-14c., "having to do with the past," from Old French preterit "past tense" (13c.) and directly from Latin praeteritum (as in tempus praeteritum "time past"), past participle of praeterire "to go by, go past," from praeter "beyond, over; more than" (see preter-) + itum, past participle of ire "to go" (from PIE root *ei- "to go").
Grammar sense is late 14c. The word also was a noun in Middle English meaning "past times" (late 14c.). Related: Preteritive. Preterite-present attested from 1813.
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Definitions of preterite from WordNet
Dictionary entries near preterite
pretension
pretentious
preter-
preterhuman
preterist
preterite
preterm
pretermission
pretermit
preternatural
preternuptial