adj.
- Out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural.
- Surpassing the normal or usual; extraordinary: "Below his preternatural affability there is some acid and steel" (George F. Will).
- Transcending the natural or material order; supernatural.
[Medieval Latin praeternātūrālis, from Latin praeter nātūrām, beyond nature : praeter, beyond; see preterit + nātūra, nature; see nature.]
preternaturalism pre'ter·nat'u·ral·ism n.preternaturally pre'ter·nat'u·ral·ly adv.
preternaturalness pre'ter·nat'u·ral·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
