The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
pluperfect — 1520s, shortened from L. (tempus praeteritum) plus (quam) perfectum (past tense) more (than) perfect. Translates Gk. khronos hypersyntelikos. See PLUS (Cf. plus) and PERFECT (Cf. perfect) … Etymology dictionary
pluperfect — ► ADJECTIVE Grammar ▪ (of a tense) denoting an action completed prior to some past point of time, formed in English by had and the past participle (as in he had gone by then). ORIGIN from Latin plus quam perfectum more than perfect (referring to… … English terms dictionary
pluperfect — [plo͞o′pʉr΄fikt, plo͞o΄pʉr′fikt] adj. [LL plusquamperfectus < L plus quam perfectum, lit., more than perfect] 1. Gram. designating or of the past perfect tense in any of certain languages corresponding to the past perfect in English 2.… … English World dictionary
Pluperfect — The pluperfect (from Latin plus quam perfectum more than perfect), also called past perfect in English, is a grammatical combination of past tense with the perfect, itself a combination of tense and aspect, that exists in most Indo European… … Wikipedia
pluperfect — /plooh perr fikt/ adj. 1. Gram. a. perfect with respect to a point of reference in past time, as had done in He had done it when I came. b. designating a tense or other verb formation or construction with such meaning, as Latin portaveram I had… … Universalium
pluperfect — /pluˈpɜfəkt / (say plooh perfuhkt) Grammar –adjective 1. perfect with respect to a temporal point of reference in the past. For example, in He had done it when I came , had done is pluperfect in relation to came since the action was brought to a… …
pluperfect — Preterpluperfect Pre ter*plu per fect, a. & n. [Pref. preter + pluperfect.] (Gram.) Old name of the tense also called {pluperfect}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pluperfect — adjective Etymology: Middle English pluperfyth, modification of Late Latin plusquamperfectus, literally, more than perfect Date: 15th century 1. past perfect 2. utterly perfect or complete • pluperfect noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
pluperfect — 1. adjective a) More than perfect b) Pertaining to action completed before or at the same time as another 2. noun a) The pluperfect tense b) A … Wiktionary
pluperfect — plu|per|fect [plu:ˈpə:fıkt US ə:r ] n [Date: 1400 1500; : Late Latin; Origin: plusquamperfectus more than perfect ] the pluperfect technical the ↑past perfect tense of a verb … Dictionary of contemporary English
