preterit

American  

[pret-er-it] / ˈprɛt ər ɪt /

Or preterite

noun

Grammar.

1. in English, the simple past, or an instance or form of a specific verb in the simple past, such as ate or walked.

2. a verb tense, construction, or form in another language with a meaning similar to that of the simple past in English.

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adjective

1. Grammar. designating a verb tense expressing a past action or state.

2. Archaic. bygone; past.

Other Word Forms

• preteritness
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of preterit

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin praeteritus “past, gone by,” past participle of praeterīre “to go by,” from praeter- preter- + īre “to go”; as tense name, from Latin (tempus) praeteritum “(time) past”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preterit

Also all verbes endyng in ir, as uenir, and such as come of him must al change ir in u for the preterit masculyn, and addyng an e to the sayd u for the feminin.

From An Introductorie for to Lerne to Read, To Pronounce, and to Speke French Trewly by Giles Du Wés

We have also atlaça, to combat or be in agony; it means likewise to hurl or dart from the water, and in the preterit makes atlaz.

From Ancient America, in Notes on American Archaeology by John D. (John Denison) Baldwin

By a law known as Grammatical Change, final ð, s, and h of strong verbs generally become d, r, and g, respectively, in the preterit plural and past participle.

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith

All the other verbs belonging to Class I. add -de for the preterit and -ed for the past participle.

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith

The weak preterit tense of berien is very rare; if bere = A.S. beran sometimes has the same meaning, i.e. ‘to strike,’ the reason is that A.S. beran and Icel. berja are confounded.

From Torrent of Portyngale by Unknown

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