pret ‧ er ‧ ite BrE AmE ( also preterit American English ) /ˈpret ə rət, ˈpret ə rɪt/ noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: prétérit , from Latin praeteritus , past participle of praeterire 'to go past' ]
the preterite technical the tense or verb form that expresses a past action or condition
—preterite adjective