preterition

English

Alternative forms

• praeterition
• præterition

Noun

preterition (countable and uncountable; plural preteritions)

1. The act of passing by, disregarding or omitting.
2. A rhetorical device in which the speaker emphasizes something by omitting it.

   I do not intend to draw attention to my heroic military service; Instead, I will focus on the economy.

3. (law) The failure of a testator to name a legal heir in his will.