ˈpreterite-ˈpresent, a. (n.) Gram.
[ad. mod.L. præterito-præsens, neut. pl. -præsentia, f. præteritus preterite + præsens present.]
Applied to verbs of which the tense now used as the present was originally a preterite (or to this tense); esp. to the small group of verbs in the Germanic languages (mostly auxiliaries of predication) represented in English by can, dare, dow, may, must, shall, † thar, will, wit, of which the current present tense is in form and origin a preterite, from which the current past tense is a new weak formation; also applicable to the Latin verbs cœpi, memini, novi, odi, the Greek οἶδα, etc. Also preterito-presential.
| [1870 Helfenstein Compar. Gram. Teut. Lang. 521 The preterite indicative is always in imitation of the præterito-præsentia wolta, rarely wëlta, subj. wolti.] 1874 Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 19) 78 note, These preterite-presents may be compared with οἶδα, novi, &c., in Greek and Latin. [1880 Earle Philol. Eng. Tongue §291 These help-verbs are a very ancient group of so-called praeterito-praesentia.] 1888 New Eng. Dict. s.v. Can. 1892 Sweet New Eng. Gram. §1477 Most of the MnE [= mod.Eng.] verbs that we class as anomalous are old preterite-present verbs. 1892 Wright Primer Gothic Lang. §272 Preterite-Presents. These verbs have strong preterites with a present meaning..to which new weak preterites have been formed. |