from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Preterit \Pret"er*it\ (?; 277), a. [L. praeteritus, p. p. of
praeterire to go or pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go:
cf. F. pr['e]t['e]rit. See {Issue}.] [Written also
{preterite} and {pr[ae]terite}.]
1. (Gram.) Past; -- applied to a tense which expresses an
action or state as past.
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2. Belonging wholly to the past; passed by. [R.]
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Things and persons as thoroughly preterite as
Romulus or Numa. --Lowell.
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