Part 518

Bacon.

Men indulge those opinions and practices that favor their pretensions.

L'Estrange.

Pre*ten"ta*tive (?), a. [Pref. pre- + tentative: cf. L. praetentare to try beforehand.] Fitted for trial beforehand; experimental. [R.] Sir H. Wotton.

Pre*ten"tious (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈtentieux. See Pretend.] Full of pretension; disposed to lay claim to more than is one's; presuming; assuming. -- Pre*ten"tious*ly, adv. - - Pre*ten"tious*ness, n.

Pre"ter- (?). [L. praeter past, beyond, originally a compar. of prae before. See For, prep.] A prefix signifying past, by, beyond, more than; as, preter- mission, a permitting to go by; preternatural, beyond or more than is natural. [Written also prÊter.]

Pre`ter*hu"man (?), a. [Pref. preter- + human.] More than human.

Pre*te"ri*ent (?), a. [L. praeteriens, p. pr. See Preterit.] Passed through; antecedent; previous; as, preterient states. [R.]

Pre`ter*im*per"fect (?), a. & n. [Pref. preter- + imperfect.] (Gram.) Old name of the tense also called imperfect.

Pret"er*ist (?), n. [Pref. preter- + -ist.] 1. One whose chief interest is in the past; one who regards the past with most pleasure or favor.

2. (Theol.) One who believes the prophecies of the Apocalypse to have been already fulfilled. Farrar.

Pret"er*it (?; 277), a. [L. praeteritus, p. p. of praeterire to go or pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go: cf. F. prÈtÈrit. See Issue.] [Written also preterite and prÊterite.] 1. (Gram.) Past; -- applied to a tense which expresses an action or state as past.

2. Belonging wholly to the past; passed by. [R.]

Things and persons as thoroughly preterite as Romulus or Numa.

Lowell.

Pret"er*it, n. (Gram.) The preterit; also, a word in the preterit tense.

Pret"er*ite (?), a. & n. Same as Preterit.

Pret"er*ite*ness, n. Same as Preteritness.

Pre`ter*i"tion (?; 277), n. [L. praeteritio: cf. F. prÈtÈrition.] 1. The act of passing, or going past; the state of being past. Bp. Hall.

2. (Rhet.) A figure by which, in pretending to pass over anything, a summary mention of it is made; as, "I will not say, he is valiant, he is learned, he is just." Called also paraleipsis.

3. (Law) The omission by a testator of some one of his heirs who is entitled to a portion. Bouvier.

Pre*ter"i*tive (?), a. (Gram.) Used only or chiefly in the preterit or past tenses, as certain verbs.

Pret"er*it*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being past. Bentley. Lowell.

Pre`ter*lapsed" (?), a. [L. praeterlapsus, p. p. of praeterlabi to glide by. See Preter-, Lapse.] Past; as, preterlapsed ages. [R.] Glanvill.

Pre`ter*le"gal (?), a. [Pref. preter- + legal.] Exceeding the limits of law. [R.]

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Pre`ter*mis"sion (?), n. [L. praetermissio. See Pretermit.] 1. The act of passing by or omitting; omission. Milton.

2. (Rhet.) See Preterition.