preposition

Meanings

Noun

• Any of a class of non-inflecting words 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.
• A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.

Verb

• To place in a location before some other event occurs.

Related

Broader meaning words

• adposition

Origin

• From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, from praepono. 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.
• pre- + position