| preposition |
| Definition - A word, such as above or about, that shows the relationship between a noun (or a pronoun) and another word. |
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Example - In the sentence He sat above them, the preposition above shows the relationship between he and them. |
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Etymology - The word derives from the Latin præpositionem, a putting before (from the Latin præ, before + ponere, place). The Latin grammatical term was coined as a loan translation of the Greek grammatical term prothesis, a setting before. |
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Oxford English Dictionary - Its first citation is from approximately 1000 CE (from Aelfric's Grammar): "Praepositio est pars orationis indeclinabilis…." (Ælfric Gram. xlvii. (Z.), 267 ) |
