Preterist Pret"er·ist noun [ Prefix 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.

Preterit Pret"er·it adjective [ Latin praeteritus , past participle of praeterire to go or pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go: confer French prétérit . See Issue .] [ Written also preterite and præterite .] 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.

Preterit Pret"er·it noun (Gram.) The preterit; also, a word in the preterit tense.

Preterite Pret"er·ite adjective & noun Same as Preterit .

Preteriteness Pret"er·ite·ness noun Same as Preteritness .

Preterition Pre`ter·i"tion noun [ Latin praeteritio : confer French prétérition .] 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.

Preteritive Pre·ter"i·tive adjective (Gram.) Used only or chiefly in the preterit or past tenses, as certain verbs.

Preteritness Pret"er·it·ness noun The quality or state of being past. Bentley. Lowell.

Preterlapsed Pre`ter·lapsed" adjective [ Latin praeterlapsus , past participle of praeterlabi to glide by. See Preter- , Lapse .] Past; as, preterlapsed ages. [ R.] Glanvill.

Preterlegal Pre`ter·le"gal adjective [ Prefix preter- + legal .] Exceeding the limits of law. [ R.]

Pretermission Pre`ter·mis"sion noun [ Latin praetermissio . See Pretermit .] 1. The act of passing by or omitting; omission. Milton. 2. (Rhet.) See Preterition .

Pretermit Pre`ter·mit" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pretermitted ; present participle & verbal noun Pretermitting .] [ Latin praetermittere , praetermissum ; praeter beyond + mittere to send. See Mission .] To pass by; to omit; to disregard. Bacon.

Preternatural Pre`ter·nat"u·ral adjective [ Prefix 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 .

Preternaturalism Pre`ter·nat"u·ral·ism noun The state of being preternatural; a preternatural condition.

Preternaturality Pre`ter·nat`u·ral"i·ty noun Preternaturalness. [ R.] Dr. John Smith.

Preternaturally Pre`ter·nat"u·ral·ly adverb In a preternatural manner or degree. Bacon.

Preternaturalness Pre`ter·nat"u·ral·ness noun The quality or state of being preternatural.

Preterperfect Pre`ter·per"fect adjective & noun [ Prefix preter- + perfect .] (Gram.) Old name of the tense also called preterit .

Preterpluperfect Pre`ter·plu"per`fect adjective & noun [ Prefix preter- + pluperfect .] (Gram.) Old name of the tense also called pluperfect .

Pretertiary Pre·ter"ti·a·ry adjective (Geol.) Earlier than Tertiary.

Pretervection Pre`ter·vec"tion noun [ Latin praetervectio , from praetervehere to carry beyond. See Invection .] The act of carrying past or beyond. [ R.] Abp. Potter.

Pretex Pre·tex" transitive verb [ Latin praetexere . See Pretext .] To frame; to devise; to disguise or excuse; hence, to pretend; to declare falsely. [ Obsolete]

Pretext Pre"text noun [ French prétexte , Latin praetextum , from praetextus , past participle 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 .

Pretexture Pre·tex"ture noun A pretext. [ Obsolete]

Pretibial Pre·tib"i·al adjective (Anat.) Situated in front of the tibia.

Pretor Pre"tor noun [ Latin praetor , for praeitor , from 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.

Pretorial Pre·to"ri·al adjective Pretorian. Burke.

Pretorian Pre·to"ri·an adjective [ Latin praetorians : confer French prétorien .] 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.

Pretorian Pre·to"ri·an noun A soldier of the pretorian guard.

Pretorium Pre·to"ri·um noun [ Latin praetorium , from praetor .] 1. The general's tent in a Roman camp; hence, a council of war, because held in the general's tent. 2. The official residence of a governor of a province; hence, a place; a splendid country seat.

Pretorship Pre"tor·ship noun The office or dignity of a pretor. J. Warton

Pretorture Pre·tor"ture transitive verb To torture beforehand. Fuller.

Prettily Pret"ti·ly adverb In a pretty manner.

Prettiness Pret"ti·ness noun The quality or state of being pretty; -- used sometimes in a disparaging sense.

A style . . . without sententious pretension or antithetical prettiness .

Jeffrey.

Pretty Pret"ty adjective [ Compar. Prettier ; superl. Prettiest .] [ Middle English prati , Anglo-Saxon prættig , prætig , crafty, sly, akin to præt , prætt , deceit, trickery, Icelandic prettugr tricky, prettr a trick; probably from Latin, perhaps through Celtic; confer W. praith act, deed, practice, Late Latin practica execution, practice, plot. See Practice .] 1. Pleasing by delicacy or grace; attracting, but not striking or impressing; of a pleasing and attractive form a color; having slight or diminutive beauty; neat or elegant without elevation or grandeur; pleasingly, but not grandly, conceived or expressed; as, a pretty face; a pretty flower; a pretty poem.

This is the prettiest lowborn lass that ever
Ran on the greensward.

Shak. 2. Moderately large; considerable; as, he had saved a pretty fortune. "Wavering a pretty while." Evelyn. 3. Affectedly nice; foppish; -- used in an ill sense.

The pretty gentleman is the most complaisant in the world.

Spectator. 4. Mean; despicable; contemptible; -- used ironically; as, a pretty trick; a pretty fellow. 5. Stout; strong and brave; intrepid; valiant. [ Scot.]

[ He] observed they were pretty men, meaning not handsome.

Sir W. Scott. Syn. -- Elegant; neat; fine. See Handsome .

Pretty Pret"ty adverb In some degree; moderately; considerably; rather; almost; -- less emphatic than very ; as, I am pretty sure of the fact; pretty cold weather.

Pretty plainly professes himself a sincere Christian.

Atterbury.

Pretty-spoken Pret"ty-spo`ken adjective Spoken or speaking prettily. [ Colloq.]

Prettyish Pret"ty·ish adjective Somewhat pretty. Walpole.

Prettyism Pret"ty·ism noun Affectation of a pretty style, manner, etc. [ R.] Ed. Rev.

Pretypify Pre·typ"i·fy transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pretypified ; present participle & verbal noun Pretypifying .] To prefigure; to exhibit previously in a type. Bp. Pearson.

Pretzel Pret"zel noun [ German pretzel , bretzel . Confer Bretzel .] A kind of German biscuit or cake in the form of a twisted ring, salted on the outside.

Prevail Pre·vail" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prevailed ; present participle & verbal noun Prevailing .] [ French prévaloir , Old French prevaleir , Latin praevalere ; prae before + valere to be strong, able, or worth. See Valiant .] 1. To overcome; to gain the victory or superiority; to gain the advantage; to have the upper hand, or the mastery; to succeed; -- sometimes with over or against .

When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed , and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed .

Ex. xvii. 11.

So David prevailed over the Philistine.

1 Sam. xvii. 50.

This kingdom could never prevail against the united power of England .

Swift. 2. To be in force; to have effect, power, or influence; to be predominant; to have currency or prevalence; to obtain; as, the practice prevails this day.

This custom makes the short-sighted bigots, and the warier skeptics, as far as it prevails .

Locke. 3. To persuade or induce; -- with on , upon , or with ; as, I prevailed on him to wait.

He was prevailed with to restrain the Earl.

Clarendon.

Prevail upon some judicious friend to be your constant hearer, and allow him the utmost freedom.

Swift.

Prevailing Pre·vail"ing adjective 1. Having superior force or influence; efficacious; persuasive. Shak.

Saints shall assist thee with prevailing prayers.

Rowe. 2. Predominant; prevalent; most general; as, the prevailing disease of a climate; a prevailing opinion. Syn. See Prevalent .

Prevailingly Pre·vail"ing·ly adverb So as to prevail.

Prevailment Pre·vail"ment noun Prevalence; superior influence; efficacy. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Prevalence Prev"a·lence noun [ Latin praevalentia : confer French prévalence . See Prevail .] The quality or condition of being prevalent; superior strength, force, or influence; general existence, reception, or practice; wide extension; as, the prevalence of virtue, of a fashion, or of a disease; the prevalence of a rumor.

The duke better knew what kind of argument were of prevalence with him.

Clarendon.

Prevalency Prev"a·len·cy noun See Prevalence .

Prevalent Prev"a·lent adjective [ Latin praevalens , -entis , present participle of praevalere . See Prevail .] 1. Gaining advantage or superiority; having superior force, influence, or efficacy; prevailing; predominant; successful; victorious.

Brennus told the Roman embassadors, that prevalent arms were as good as any title.

Sir W. Raleigh. 2. Most generally received or current; most widely adopted or practiced; also, generally or extensively existing; widespread; prevailing; as, a prevalent observance; prevalent disease.

This was the most received and prevalent opinion.

Woodward. Syn. -- Prevailing; predominant; successful; efficacious; powerful. -- Prevalent , Prevailing . What customarily prevails is prevalent ; as, a prevalent fashion. What actually prevails is prevailing ; as, the prevailing winds are west. Hence, prevailing is the livelier and more pointed word, since it represents a thing in action. It is sometimes the stronger word, since a thing may prevail sufficiently to be called prevalent , and yet require greater strength to make it actually prevailing .

Prevalently Prev"a·lent"ly adverb In a prevalent manner. Prior.

Prevaricate Pre·var"i·cate intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prevaricated ; present participle & verbal noun Prevaricating .] [ Latin praevaricatus , past participle of praevaricari to walk crookedly, to collude; prae before + varicare to straddle, from varicus straddling, varus bent. See Varicose .] 1. To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble; as, he prevaricates in his statement.

He prevaricates with his own understanding.

South. 2. (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution. 3. (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Syn. -- To evade; equivocate; quibble; shuffle. -- Prevaricate , Evade , Equivocate . One who evades a question ostensibly answers it, but really turns aside to some other point. He who equivocate uses words which have a double meaning, so that in one sense he can claim to have said the truth, though he does in fact deceive, and intends to do it. He who prevaricates talks all round the question, hoping to "dodge" it, and disclose nothing.