preposition

1. 1.

   a function word that combines with a noun or pronoun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase that can have an adverbial or adjectival relation to some other word

   Broaderfunction word
2. 2.

   (linguistics) the placing of one linguistic element before another (as placing a modifier before the word it modifies in a sentence or placing an affix before the base to which it is attached)

   Broaderplace

   linguistics

Other forms of preposition

plural

prepositions·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about preposition

What does preposition mean?

preposition means "a function word that combines with a noun or pronoun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase that can have an adverbial or adjectival relation to some other word". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in preposition?

preposition has 5 syllables: pre-po-si-ti-on. The stress falls on "ti".

Is preposition a common word?

preposition is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.