Wiktionary

preternatural

English

edit
WOTD – 9 August 2008

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From Latin preternātūrālis/praeternātūrālis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter (“beyond”) + nātūra (“nature”); compare supernatural.

Pronunciation

edit
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌpɹi.tɚˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

edit

preternatural (comparative more preternatural, superlative most preternatural)

  1. Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange.
    Synonyms: inexplicable, exceptional, extraordinary, abnormal, uncanny
    • 1815, William Shearman, New Medical and Physical Journal:
      I have employed cold air, and very often spongings with cold water, in order to moderate the preternatural heat of the skin, and to check the increased velocity of the circulation.
    • 1882, George Edward Ellis, The Red Man and the White Man in North America, page 152:
      Doubtless there has been some exaggeration in the picturesque and fanciful relations of the almost preternatural skill and cunning of the Indian […]
    • 2014 January 4, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, “The other Charlotte Brontë girl [online version (3 January 2014): Why Villette is better than Jane Eyre: Everybody knows Jane Eyre, but Charlotte Brontë's greatest and most original novel was her last, Villette]”, in The Daily Telegraph‎[1], London, page R14:
      "Villette! Villette! wrote George Eliot. "It is a still more wonderful book than Jane Eyre. There is something almost preternatural in its power."
    • 2018, “Quintessential Deckerstar”, in Lucifer:
      D.B. Woodside as Amenadiel: "Something Charlotte said made me think. Maybe celestial beings and humans, Luci maybe they aren't that different."
      Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar: "What, are we talking in bed? 'Cause we know all know my skills are preternatural. But I suppose you on the other hand..."
  2. (dated) Having an existence outside of the natural world.
    Synonyms: paranormal, supernatural, unnatural
    • 1817, William Hazlitt, “Macbeth”, in Characters of Shakespeare's Plays:
      Macbeth is like a record of a preternatural and tragical event.
    • 1860, George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, Book 1, Chapter 11:
      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, The Ring of Thoth:
      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

edit
  • 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 hyponym (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.

Derived terms

edit
Derived terms
edit
Etymologically related to praeter (“beyond”)

Translations

edit

References

edit

Further reading

edit

Catalan

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Latin praeternaturālis.

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

preternatural m or f (masculine and feminine plural preternaturals)

  1. preternatural
edit

Further reading

edit

Portuguese

edit

Pronunciation

edit
 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /pɾe.teʁ.na.tuˈɾaw/ [pɾe.teɦ.na.tuˈɾaʊ̯]
    • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /pɾe.teɾ.na.tuˈɾaw/ [pɾe.teɾ.na.tuˈɾaʊ̯]
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /pɾe.teʁ.na.tuˈɾaw/ [pɾe.teʁ.na.tuˈɾaʊ̯]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /pɾe.teɻ.na.tuˈɾaw/ [pɾe.teɻ.na.tuˈɾaʊ̯]
 
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /pɾɨ.tɨɾ.nɐ.tuˈɾal/ [pɾɨ.tɨɾ.nɐ.tuˈɾaɫ]
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /pɾɨ.tɨɾ.nɐ.tuˈɾa.li/

  • Hyphenation: pre‧ter‧na‧tu‧ral

Adjective

edit

preternatural m or f (plural preternaturais)

  1. preternatural

Spanish

edit

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /pɾeteɾnatuˈɾal/ [pɾe.t̪eɾ.na.t̪uˈɾal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: pre‧ter‧na‧tu‧ral

Adjective

edit

preternatural m or f (masculine and feminine plural preternaturales)

  1. preternatural

Derived terms

edit

Further reading

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=preternatural&oldid=80126450"
  NODES
Note 3