Added 9 October 2026
preposition
/ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/ noun
In Latin: praepositio Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about preposition at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
- An adposition.
- A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.
verb
Origin
From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, praepositionem, from praepono (“to place before”), equivalent to pre- + position. Compare French préposition. So called because it is placed before the word with which it is phrased, as in a bridge of iron, he comes from town, it is good for food, he escaped by running.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)