Definitions

1. noun

A grammatical tense used to describe past actions or states, especially in ancient Greek and Latin.

“The historian studied the use of the preterite tense in ancient texts.”

2. adjective

Being or relating to a grammatical tense used to describe past actions or states.

“The preterite aspect is often used to express completed actions in the past.”

3. verb

To place or regard as past, especially in grammatical terms.

“The linguist preterited the verb form to analyze its historical development.”