preterite

Meanings

Adjective

• 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), the past participle of praetereō, itself from praeter (comparative of prae) + itum (the past participle of eō).