preposition

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[edit] English

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[edit] Etymology 1

From Latin praepositio, from praeponere (to place before); prae (before) + ponere (to put, place); compare French préposition. (See position, and compare provost.)

[edit] Alternative forms

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

Singular
preposition

Plural
prepositions

preposition (plural prepositions)

  1. (grammar): A closed class of non-inflecting words typically employed to connect a noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word; a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word; — so called because it is usually placed before the word with which it is phrased; as, a bridge of iron; he comes from town; it is good for food; he escaped by running. Prepositions are a heterogeneous class of words in some languages, with fuzzy boundaries that tend to overlap with other categories (like adverbs, adjectives, and conjunctions) and also allow for inflected prepositions.
  2. (obsolete) A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.
    • He made a long preposition and oration — Fabyan
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

[edit] Etymology 2

From pre- + position

[edit] Alternative spellings

[edit] Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpriːpəˌzɪʃən/

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to preposition

Third person singular
prepositions

Simple past
prepositioned

Past participle
prepositioned

Present participle
prepositioning

to preposition (third-person singular simple present prepositions, present participle prepositioning, simple past and past participle prepositioned)

  1. To place in a location before some other event occurs.
    It is important to preposition the material before turning on the machine.

[edit] Finnish

[edit] Noun

preposition

  1. Genitive singular form of prepositio.

[edit] Interlingua

[edit] Noun

preposition

  1. (grammar) A word that is used in conjunction with a noun or pronoun in order to form a phrase.