preterperfect, a. (n.)
(priːtəˈpɜːfɪkt)
[ad. late L. præteritum perfectum ‘complete past’, with contraction: see preter, preterite, and perfect.]
1. Gram. Past perfect; applied to a tense which indicates a past or completed state or action. Also ellipt. as n. Now rare or Obs.
| 1534 Tindale N.T., Matt. Prol., The Hebrue phrase, or maner of speach..Whose preterperfectence and presentence is bothe one, and the futuretence is the optatiue mode also. 1530 Palsgr. 84 The preterperfit tens as je ay parlé I have spoken. 1591 Percivall Sp. Dict. C j, The preterperfectence, the time perfectly past. a 1658 Cleveland To T.C. 26 How canst thou then delight the Sense In Beauty's Preterperfect-tence? 1711 J. Greenwood Eng. Gram. 114 In Latin the Present Time of the Perfect action is commonly called the Preterperfect Time. 1775 Adair Amer. Ind. 38 They..sometimes use the preterperfect, instead of the present tense of the indicative mood. |
2. nonce-use. More than perfect, surpassing the point of perfection.
| 1848 Blackw. Mag. LXIV. 559 Dumas is one of those persons who love..to furnish the most preterperfect of apartments with the most fabulous of furniture. |