PREPOSITION

[prep.o.si.tion] n [ME preposicioun, fr. L praeposition-, praepositio, fr. praeponere to put in front, fr. prae- pre- + ponere to put--more at position] (14c): a function word that typically combines with a noun phrase to form a phrase which usu. expresses a modification or predication -- prep.o.si.tion.al adj -- prep.o.si.tion.al.ly adv