Preterperfect

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a grammatical perfect tense that expresses an action completed in the past with present relevance
2. Referring to a verb form in certain grammars that marks an event finished before the present moment
3. Of or relating to the perfect aspect of verbs, used for actions completed in the past and linked to now

Etymology: "Preterperfect" is formed from "preter-", a prefix from Latin meaning "beyond" or "past", and "perfect", which comes from Latin "perfectus", meaning "completed" or "finished". Put together, the word names a tense that describes an action completed before some point in the past, or one that lies beyond the perfect. The term is a straightforward compound, and its parts carry their meanings intact. In grammar, "preterperfect" has been used as another name for the perfect tense, the form that places an action in a completed state relative to the present or a past reference point, such as "I have eaten" or "I had eaten." The prefix "preter-" is what gives the word its sense of pastness, so the label reads roughly as "beyond-the-perfect" or "past-perfect."