What does preterite mean?

Definitions for preterite
preterite

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word preterite.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. preterit, preteritenoun

    a term formerly used to refer to the simple past tense

Wiktionary

  1. preteritenoun

    The preterite tense, simple past tense: the grammatical tense that determines the specific initiation or termination of an action in the past.

  2. preteriteadjective

    showing an action at a determined moment in the past.

  3. Etymology: Recorded since 1340, from preterit (13th century), from praeteritum (as in tempus praeteritum "time past"), the past participle of praeterire "to go by, go past", itself from praeter "beyond, before, above, more than" (comparative of prae "before") + itum (the past participle of ire "to go").

ChatGPT

  1. preterite

    Preterite is a grammatical term used to describe a tense of verbs that is used to describe actions or states that were completed or happened in the past. It's predominantly used in languages like Spanish, English, and German, among others. The equivalent term in English grammar is 'simple past tense'.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Preterite

    same as Preterit

Wikidata

  1. Preterite

    The preterite is a grammatical tense or verb form existing in various languages, serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past. In general, it combines the perfective aspect with the past tense, and may thus also be termed the perfective past. In grammars of particular languages the preterite is sometimes called the past historic, or the aorist. When the term "preterite" is used in relation to specific languages it may not correspond precisely to this definition. In English it can be used to refer to the simple past verb form, which sometimes expresses perfective aspect. The case of German is similar: the Präteritum is the simple past tense, which does not always imply perfective aspect, and is anyway often replaced by the Perfekt even in perfective past meanings. Preterite may be denoted by the glossing abbreviation PRET or PRT. The word derives from the Latin praeteritum, meaning "passed by" or "past".

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Preterite

    pret′ėr-it, adj. gone by: past: noting the past tense.—n. the past tense.—ns. Pret′erist, one who holds the prophecies of the Apocalypse already fulfilled; Pret′eriteness.—adj. Preteri′tial (biol.), once active but now latent.—n. Preteri′tion, the act of passing over: the doctrine that God passes over the non-elect in electing to eternal life those predestinated to salvation.—adj. Preter′itive, expressing past times. [L. præterituspræter, beyond, īre, ītum, to go.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of preterite in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of preterite in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Popularity rank by frequency of use

preterite#100000#196632#333333

Translations for preterite

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"preterite." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/preterite>.

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