- Comment
- Love
Word of the Day : February 1, 2018
preternatural \pree-ter-NATCH-uh-rul\ adjective
Definition
1 : existing outside of nature
2 : exceeding what is natural or regular : extraordinary
3 : inexplicable by ordinary means; especially : psychic
Did You Know?
Preternatural derives from the Latin phrase praeter naturam, which means "beyond nature." Medieval Latin scholars rendered the term as praeternaturalis, and that form inspired the modern English version. Unusual things are sometimes considered positive and sometimes negative, and throughout its history preternatural has been used to refer to both exceptionally good things and unnaturally evil ones. In its earliest documented uses in the 1500s, it tended to emphasize the strange, ominous, or foreboding, but by the 1700s, people were using it more benignly to refer to fascinating supernatural (or even heavenly) phenomena. Nowadays, people regularly use it to describe the remarkable abilities of exceptional humans.
Learn a new word every day, delivered to your inbox!
Test Your Vocabulary
January 2018 Words of the Day Quiz
Which of these is a synonym of bespoke?
convoluted
custom-made
silent
attractive
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Aired February 1, 2018
All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com
- Recommended Recommended
- History & In Progress History
- Browse Library
- Most Popular Library
Get Personalized Recommendations
Let us help you figure out what to learn! By taking a short interview you’ll be able to specify your learning interests and goals, so we can recommend the perfect courses and lessons to try next.
Start InterviewYou don't have any lessons in your history.
Just find something that looks interesting and start learning!