past
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English, past participle of passen (“to pass, to go by”), whence Modern English pass.
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) enPR: päst, IPA(key): /pɑːst/
Audio (UK) (file) - (US) enPR: păst, IPA(key): /pæst/
Audio (US) (file) - Homophone: passed
- Rhymes: -æst, -ɑːst
Noun edit
past (plural pasts)
- The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
- a book about a time machine that can transport people back into the past
- 1830, Daniel Webster, a speech
- The past, at least, is secure.
- 1860, Richard Chenevix Trench, On the English Language, Past and Present:
- The present is only intelligible in the light of the past, often a very remote past indeed.
- 2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:
- The Mesozoic landscape of southeastern Utah can tell us much about the past, and it's one of the most intriguing and beautiful landscapes on Earth.
- (grammar) The past tense.
Synonyms edit
- (period of time that has already happened): foretime, yestertide; see also Thesaurus:the past
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
period of time that has already happened
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(grammar) past tense
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also edit
Adjective edit
past (comparative more past, superlative most past)
- Having already happened; in the past; finished. [from 14th c.]
- past glories
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures.
- (postmodifier) Following expressions of time to indicate how long ago something happened; ago. [from 15th c.]
- 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 538:
- That had been, what, three years past?
- 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley, published 2009, page 20:
- Some four decades past, as a boy, I had a chance encounter and conversation with the late W.A. Poucher [...].
- Of a period of time: having just gone by; previous. [from 15th c.]
- during the past year
- 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in The Guardian[1]:
- Sarkozy's total will be seen as a personal failure. It is the first time an outgoing president has failed to win a first-round vote in the past 50 years and makes it harder for Sarkozy to regain momentum.
- (grammar) Of a tense, expressing action that has already happened or a previously-existing state. [from 18th c.]
- past tense
Synonyms edit
- (having already happened): bygone, foregone; see also Thesaurus:past
- (having just gone by): foregone, preceding, used-to-be; see also Thesaurus:former
Translations edit
having already happened; in the past
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ago — see ago
of a period of time: having just gone by
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grammar: expressing action that has already happened
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Adverb edit
past (comparative more past, superlative most past)
- In a direction that passes.
- Synonym: by
- I watched him walk past
Translations edit
in a direction that passes
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Preposition edit
past
- Beyond in place or quantity
- the room past mine
- count past twenty
- (time) Any number of minutes after the last hour
- What's the time? - It's now quarter past twelve midday (or 12.15pm).
- Antonym: to
- 2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport[2]:
- But they were stunned when Glen Johnson's error let in Peter Odemwingie to fire past Pepe Reina on 75 minutes.
- No longer capable of.
- I'm past caring what he thinks of me.
- Having recovered or moved on from (a traumatic experience, etc.).
- Passing by, especially without stopping or being delayed.
- Ignore them, we'll play past them.
- Please don't drive past the fruit stand, I want to stop there.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
beyond in place
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beyond in time
no longer capable of
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having recovered
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passing by
Verb edit
past
- (obsolete) simple past and past participle of pass
- 1632, John Vicars, The XII Aeneids of Virgil:
- Great Tuscane dames, as she their towns past by, / Wisht her their daughter-in-law, but frustrately.
Related terms edit
- a hair past a freckle
- blow past
- breeze past
- brush past
- by-past
- file past
- first past the post
- fly-past
- get past
- get past oneself
- ghost from one's past
- go past
- half past
- half-past-six
- let past
- live in the past
- look past
- look past the end of one's nose
- look past the tip of one's nose
- march past
- march-past
- non-past
- past exonerative
- past historic tense
- past imperfect tense
- past it
- past iterative
- past-life
- past life
- past-master
- past master
- past mistress
- past one's prime
- past paper
- past participial
- past perfect continuous
- past perfect progressive
- past-posting
- push past
- put it past
- put one past
- put past
- reach past
- run past, runpast
- see past the tip of one's nose
- sell past the close
- simple-past
- slip one past
- smuggle past
- sneak past
- talk past
- the mill cannot grind with water that is past
- tick past
- unsorted (terms derived from any part of speech, should be placed in the relevant section)
- whistle past the graveyard
Anagrams edit
Czech edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *pastь,
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
past f
- trap (a device designed to catch and sometimes kill animals)
- past na myši ― mousetrap
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
See also edit
Further reading edit
- past in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- past in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
- past in Internetová jazyková příručka
Anagrams edit
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
past
- inflection of passen:
Anagrams edit
Middle French edit
Etymology edit
From Old French past, from Latin pastus (“pasture”).
Noun edit
past m (plural pasts)
- food, meal
- 1537, Giles du Guez, quoting John Palsgrave (c. 1485–1554), An Introductorie for to lerne to speke Frenche trewly :
- Verité est le past de l'ame.
- Truth is the food of the soul.
- Verité est le past de l'ame.
- 1583, Claude Gruget, Diverses leçons :
- Il dit aussi que les choux mangez avant le past gardent d'enyvrer.
- He also says that cabbage, when eaten before a meal, reduces how much one gets drunk.
- Il dit aussi que les choux mangez avant le past gardent d'enyvrer.
Old French edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Latin pastus (“pasture”), probably influenced by paste (“dough, pastry”).
Noun edit
past oblique singular, m (nominative singular past)
- food, meal
- ca. 1268, Étienne Boileau (ca. 1210–1270), Livre des métiers :
- Por son abuvrement et por son past.
- For him to drink and for his food.
- Por son abuvrement et por son past.
Descendants edit
- Middle French: past
Polish edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
past f
Slovene edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *pastь.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
pȃst f
Inflection edit
 |
The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks. |
| Feminine, i-stem, long mixed accent | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nom. sing. | pást | ||
| gen. sing. | pastí | ||
| singular | dual | plural | |
| nominative (imenovȃlnik) |
pást | pastí | pastí |
| genitive (rodȋlnik) |
pastí | pastí | pastí |
| dative (dajȃlnik) |
pásti | pastéma | pastém |
| accusative (tožȋlnik) |
pást | pastí | pastí |
| locative (mẹ̑stnik) |
pásti | pastéh | pastéh |
| instrumental (orọ̑dnik) |
pastjó | pastéma | pastmí |
Verb edit
pȃst
Further reading edit
- “past”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran