preternature

P3R1E1T1E1R1N1A1T1U1R1E1
UK/pɹiːtəˈneɪtʃə/

noun

The realm beyond the natural; the preternatural.

First used 19th c.Scrabble 14

Meanings

nounpreternature (uncountable)

alternative praeternature

  1. rareuncountableThe realm beyond the natural; the preternatural.First known use 19th c.

    In my own heart there dwells no faith in preter-nature.

    1842, Edgar Allan Poe, The Mystery of Marie Rogêt
    1 more example

    We can speak here too, then, of pressure and, indeed, encroachment by the category of preternature on territory previously occupied by the miraculous.

    1997, Stuart Clark, Thinking with Demons: The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe, page 263

Origin

Translations

French préternature
  • préternatureTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

preternature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preternature

MLA

“preternature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preternature. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preternature,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preternature.

Source: preternature on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.