Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or being the verb tense that describes a past action or state.
  • noun The verb form expressing or describing a past action or condition.
  • noun A verb in the preterite form.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Same as preterit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective grammar showing an action at a determined moment in the past.
  • noun grammar The preterite tense, simple past tense: the grammatical tense that determines the specific initiation or termination of an action in the past.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a term formerly used to refer to the simple past tense

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin (tempus) praeteritum, past (tense), neuter past participle of praeterīre, to go by : praeter, beyond, comparative of prae, before; see per in Indo-European roots + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Recorded since 1340, from Old French preterit (13th century), from Latin praeteritum (as in tempus praeteritum "time past"), the past participle of praeterire "to go by, go past", itself from praeter "beyond, before, above, more than" (comparative of prae "before") + itum (the past participle of ire "to go").

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Examples

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

  • Once you have the command of the present tense, the preterite is then taught.

    learning Spanish 2004

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