| preterite |
| Definition: The grammatical tense used for expressing actions that have occurred in the past. |
| Example:
(1) Did is the preterite of do. (2) It is usually formed by adding -ed or -d to the verb's infinitive (e.g., He planted his seed). (3) Some verbs form preterites irregularly (e.g., go/went and eat/ate). |
| Etymology: The word derives via Old French from the Latin præteritum — as in Quintilian's præteritum tempus, time past (from præ, before + itum, the past participle of ire, to go.) |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from 1388: "A participle of a present tens either preterit, of actif vois eithir passif, mai be resoluid into a verbe … and a coniunccioun copulatif." (Wyclif Prol. 57) |