Dictionary

preposition en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• prĕp-ə-zĭsh'ən
• /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/

Etymology

From Middle English preposicioun, from Old French preposicion, from Latin praepositio, praepositionem, from praepono (“to place before”), equivalent to pre- + position. Compare French préposition. So called because it is placed before the word with which it is phrased, as in a bridge of iron, he comes from town, it is good for food, he escaped by running.

Meanings

1. (strict-sense) Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following 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.
   • I love this girl. “On which I can get my hands” — even in her darkest moment, she cannot bring herself to end a sentence with a preposition. 2014 June 1, “Net Neutrality”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 1, episode 5, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
   • And in (121) below, we see that when a wh-NP is used as the Object of a Preposition, the whole Prepositional Phrase can undergo WH MOVEMENT: (121) (a) [To whom] can I send this letter —? (121) (b) [About what] are they quarrelling —? (121) (c) [In which book] did you read about it —? 1988, Andrew Radford, chapter 9, in Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 495:
   • 322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles. 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. 1844, E. A. Andrews, First Lessions in Latin; or Introduction to Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Grammar, 6th edition, Boston, page 91:
2. (broadly) An adposition.
3. (obsolete) A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.
   • […] he made a longe preposicion & oracion cōcernynge yͤ allegiaūce which he exortyd his lordes to owe 1811 [1516], Robert Fabyan, edited by Sir Henry Ellis, The New Chronicles of England and France, page 116:

Forms

Coordinates

postposition · circumposition

Deriveds

prepositional phrase (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · phrasal preposition (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · prepositionhood (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · prepositionally (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · preposition of time (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · intransitive preposition (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · preposition of place (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · prepositionless (terms derived from preposition (noun)) · prepositional (terms derived from preposition (noun))

Hypernyms

adposition · part of speech · term · word

Hyponyms

preposition of place · phrasal preposition · intransitive preposition

Relateds

prepositive (terms related to preposition (noun)) · preverb · prepose (terms related to preposition (noun))

Translations (120)

et eessõna (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · pt preposição (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · kab tanzeɣt (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sh prédlog (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · lo ຄຳເຊື່ອມ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · bn পদান্বয়ী অব্যয় (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ga réamhfhocal (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · la praepositio (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ka წინდებული (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · de Verhältniswort (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ca preposició (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sk predložka (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tl pang-ukol (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · pl prepozycja (position of a word) · de Präposition (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · el πρόθεση (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · nl voorzetsel (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · hu elöljáró (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · haw ʻinawaena (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · pl przyimek (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sq parafjalë (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · es preposición (position of a word) · sh препози́ција (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · it preposizione (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sh пре́длог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · kk предлог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · lv prievārds (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sh prepozícija (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · fo fyriseting (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ky предлог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tg пешоянд (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · izh prepositsia (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · lij prepoxiçión (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · nl kastwoord (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · nn preposisjon (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · haw ʻinaleo (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ka პრეპოზიცია (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ast preposición (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · am መስተዋድድ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · cs předložka (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · he מילת יחס (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · eo prepozicio (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tk predlog (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · kmr daçek (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · yo ọ̀rọ̀-atọ́kùn (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · de Vorwort (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · lv prepozīcija (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tk prepozisiýa (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · yue 介詞 /介词 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · gd roimhear (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · cy arddodiad (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · da forholdsord (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · th บุรพบท (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sl prêdlog (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · hy կապ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ang fōresetnes (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · uz predlog (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · kk демеулік (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ms kata depan (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · nrf préposition (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ms kata sendi nama (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · af voorsetsel (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sw kihusishi (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ia preposition (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ti መስተዋድድ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · arz حرف جر (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · br araogenn (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tr ilgeç (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · da præposition (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · th บุพบท (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · hu elöljárószó (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · is forsetning (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · gl preposición (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · yue 前置詞 /前置词 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · fr préposition (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · rsk применовнїк (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ar جَارّ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · izh esisana (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · lt prielinksnis (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · cmn 前置詞 /前置词 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · fi prepositio (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · cs prepozice (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · bg предло́г (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ja 前置詞 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sh прије́длог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · io prepoziciono (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · uk прийме́нник (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · be прыназо́ўнік (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · mk предлог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ce предлог (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · az sözönü (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ru предло́г (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · enm preposicion (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ml ഗതി (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · tr edat (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · hy նախդիր (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · es preposición (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · grc πρόθεσις (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · sh prijédlog (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · fa-ira حَرْفِ اِضافِه (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · km ធ្នាក់ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · hi पूर्वसर्ग (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · id kata depan (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · an preposición (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · de Lagewort (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · vi giới từ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ug ئالدى قوشۇلغۇچى (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ro prepoziție (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · he מִלַּת יַחַס (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · nb preposisjon (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ur حَرْفِ جَر (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ko 전치사 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · wa divancete (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · fy ferhâldingswurd (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · vo präpod (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · yi פּרעפּאָזיציע (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · cmn 介詞 /介词 (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ar حَرْف جَرّ (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · mn угтвар үг (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by") · ur حَرْفِ جار (grammar: a type of word like "of, from, for, by")

preposition en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈpɹiːpəˌzɪʃən/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English position English preposition From pre- + position.

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative, proscribed, sometimes) Alternative spelling of pre-position.
   alt of pre-position
   • It is important to preposition the material before turning on the machine.

Forms

Translations (4)

pl umieścić z wyprzedzeniem (to place in a location before some other event occurs) · fr prépositionner (to place in a location before some other event occurs) · pt pré-posicionar (to place in a location before some other event occurs) · pl umieszczać z wyprzedzeniem (to place in a location before some other event occurs)