\Pret"er*it\ (?; 277), a. [L. praeteritus, p. p. of
praeterire to go or pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go:
cf. F. pr['e]t['e]rit. See {Issue}.] [Written also
{preterite} and {pr[ae]terite}.]
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.