Preposition

Pronunciation

• enPR: prÄ•p-É™-zÄ­sh'É™n, IPA: /ËŒpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/

, from praepono ("to place before"). Compare French préposition. So called because it is usually 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.

Alternative forms

• præposition archaic

Full definition of preposition

Noun

1. (grammar, strict sense) Any of a class of non-inflecting words 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.
• 1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational grammar: a first course Chapter 9, 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)      whom can I send this letter —?
  (121) (b)      what are they quarrelling —?
  (121) (c)      which book did you read about it —?
• Jun 1 2014
2. (obsolete) A proposition; an exposition; a discourse.
• unknown date, Robert FabyanHe made a long preposition and oration.

Hypernyms

• (grammar, strict sense) adposition

Coordinate terms

• (grammar, strict sense) circumposition
• (grammar, strict sense) postposition

Derived terms

Related terms

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɹiːpəˌzɪʃən/

From pre- + position

Alternative forms

• pre-position

Verb

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