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Added 9 October 2026

preterite

/ˈpɹɛtəɹɪt/ adjective

In Latin: praeteritus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about preterite at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Showing an action at a determined moment in the past.
Belonging wholly to the past; passed by.

noun

A grammatical tense or verb form serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past.

Origin

From Middle English preterit, from Old French preterit (13th century), from Latin praeteritum (as in tempus praeteritum (“time past”)), the past participle of praetereō (“to go by, go past”), itself from praeter (“beyond, before, above, more than”) (comparative of prae (“before”)) + itum (the past participle of eō (“to go”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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