• Preternatural

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /ËŒpriː.təˈnætʃ.əɹ.É™l/
    • US IPA: /ËŒpri.tɚˈnætʃ.əɹ.É™l/

    Alternative forms

    Origin

    From Latin preternaturalis/praeternaturalis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter ("beyond") + nātūra ("nature"); compare supernatural.

    Full definition of preternatural

    Adjective

    preternatural

    1. Beyond or different from what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange; inexplicable; extraordinary; abnormal.
    2. (dated) Having an existence outside of the natural world.
      • 1817, William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare's Plays, "",Macbeth is like a record of a preternatural and tragical event.
      • 1860, George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, ,Not Leonore, in that preternatural midnight excursion with her phantom lover, was more terrified than poor Maggie in this entirely natural ride on a short-paced donkey, ...
      • 1925, Arthur Conan Doyle, "",Vansittart Smith, fixing his eyes upon the fellow's skin, was conscious of a sudden impression that there was something inhuman and preternatural about its appearance.

    Usage notes

    In modern secular use, refers to extraordinary but still natural phenomena, as in “preternatural talent”. In religious and occult usage, used similarly to supernatural, meaning “outside of nature”, but usually to a lower level than supernatural – it can be used synonymously (identical to supernatural), as a hypernym (a kind of supernatural), or a coordinate term (similar to supernatural, but a distinct category). For example, in Catholic theology, preternatural refers to properties of creatures like angels, while supernatural refers to properties of God alone.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

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