Etymology

Recorded since 1340, from preterit (13th century), < præteritum (as in tempus præteritum "time past"), the past participle of præterire "to go by, go past", itself from præter "beyond, before, above, more than" (comparative of præ "before") + itum (the past participle of ire "to go").

Adjective

1. showing an action at a determined moment in the past.

Noun

The preterite tense, simple past tense: the grammatical tense that determines the specific initiation or termination of an action in the past.