Part 519

Pre`ter*mit" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pretermitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Pretermitting.] [L. praetermittere, praetermissum; praeter beyond + mittere to send. See Mission.] To pass by; to omit; to disregard. Bacon.

Pre`ter*nat"u*ral (?; 135), a. [Pref. preter + natural.] Beyond of different from what is natural, or according to the regular course of things, but not clearly supernatural or miraculous; strange; inexplicable; extraordinary; uncommon; irregular; abnormal; as, a preternatural appearance; a preternatural stillness; a preternatural presentation (in childbirth) or labor.

This vile and preternatural temper of mind.

South.

Syn. -- See Supernatural.

Pre`ter*nat"u*ral*ism (?), n. The state of being preternatural; a preternatural condition.

Pre`ter*nat`u*ral"i*ty (?), n. Preternaturalness. [R.] Dr. John Smith.

Pre`ter*nat"u*ral*ly (?; 135), adv. In a preternatural manner or degree. Bacon.

Pre`ter*nat"u*ral*ness, n. The quality or state of being preternatural.

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

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

Pre*ter"ti*a*ry (?), a. (Geol.) Earlier than Tertiary.

Pre`ter*vec"tion (?), n. [L. praetervectio, fr. praetervehere to carry beyond. See Invection.] The act of carrying past or beyond. [R.] Abp. Potter.

Pre*tex" (?), v. t. [L. praetexere. See Pretext.] To frame; to devise; to disguise or excuse; hence, to pretend; to declare falsely. [Obs.]

Pre"text (?; 277), n. [F. prÈtexte, L. praetextum, fr. praetextus, p. p. of praetexere to weave before, allege as an excuse; prae before + texere to weave. See Text.] Ostensible reason or motive assigned or assumed as a color or cover for the real reason or motive; pretense; disguise.

They suck the blood of those they depend on, under a pretext of service and kindness.

L'Estrange.

With how much or how little pretext of reason.

Dr. H. More.

Syn. -- Pretense; excuse; semblance; disguise; appearance. See Pretense.

Pre*tex"ture (?; 135), n. A pretext. [Obs.]

Pre*tib"i*al (?), a. (Anat.) Situated in front of the tibia.

Pre"tor (?), n. [L. praetor, for praeitor, fr. praeire to go before; prae before + ire to go. See Issue.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A civil officer or magistrate among the ancient Romans.

Originally the pretor was a kind of third consul; but at an early period two pretors were appointed, the first of whom (praetor urbanus) was a kind of mayor or city judge; the other (praetor peregrinus) was a judge of cases in which one or both of the parties were foreigners. Still later, the number of pretors, or judges, was further increased.

2. Hence, a mayor or magistrate. [R.] Dryden.

Pre*to"ri*al (?), a. Pretorian. Burke.

Pre*to"ri*an (?), a. [L. praetorians: cf. F. prÈtorien.] Of or pertaining to a pretor or magistrate; judicial; exercised by, or belonging to, a pretor; as, pretorian power or authority.

Pretorian bands or guards, or Pretorians (Rom. Hist.), the emperor's bodyguards, instituted by the Emperor Augustus in nine cohorts of 1,000 men each. -- Pretorian gate (Rom. Antiq.), that one of the four gates in a camp which lay next the enemy. Brande & C.