past / past/ • adj. gone by in time and no longer existing: the danger is now past. ∎  belonging to a former time: they made a study of the reasons why past attempts had failed he is a past chairman of the society. ∎  (of a specified period of time) occurring before and leading up to the time of speaking or writing: the band has changed over the past twelve months. ∎  Gram. (of a tense) expressing an action that has happened or a state that previously existed.• n. 1. (usu. the past) the time or a period of time before the moment of speaking or writing: she found it hard to make ends meet in the past. ∎  the events of an earlier time: the war-damaged church is preserved as a reminder of the past. ∎  the history of a person, country, or institution: the monuments act as guidelines through the country's colorful past. ∎  a part of a person's history that is considered to be shameful: the heroine was a lady with a past.2. Gram. a past tense or form of a verb: a simple past of the first conjugation.• prep. to or on the further side of: he rode on past the crossroads. ∎  in front of or from one side to the other of: he began to drive slowly past the houses. ∎  beyond in time; later than: by this time it was past 3:30. ∎  no longer capable of: he is past giving the best advice. ∎  beyond the scope of: my hair was past praying for.• adv. 1. so as to pass from one side of something to the other: large angelfish swim slowly past. ∎  used to indicate the lapse of time: a week went past and nothing changed.2. at a time later by a specified amount than a particular known hour: we're having speeches in the dining room at half past.PHRASES: not put it past someone believe someone to be capable of doing something wrong or rash: I wouldn't put it past him to slip something into the drinks.DERIVATIVES: past·ness n.

308. Past

See also 18. ANTIQUITY ; 174. FUTURE ; 207. HISTORY ; 269. MEMORY ; 304. ORIGINS .

aboriginality

the condition of being first in a place and of having a relatively simple nature. —aboriginal, n., adj.

antediluvianism

adherence to or fondness for ancient things or customs. —antediluvian, n., adj.

antiquarianism

interest in the culture of antiquity, especially that of classical Greece and Rome. —antiquary, antiquarian, n. —antiquarian, adj.

archaeolatry

devotion to archaism. —archaeolater, n. —archaeolatrous, adj.

archaism

an inclination toward old-fashioned things, speech, etc. Also archaicism. —archaist, n. —archaic, adj.

chronographer

a person who records time or the events that have occurred in time.

chronography

Obsolete, the recording or study of past events.

medievalism

strong fondness or admiration for the culture, mores, etc, of the Middle Ages. —medievalist, n. —medievalistic, adj.

palaetiology

paletiology.

paleology, palaeology

the study of antiquities. —paleologist, palaeologist, n. —paleologic, palaeologic, paleological, palaeological, adj.

paleopathology, palaeopathology

Medicine. the study of diseases from former times as found in fossils and mummified remains.

paletiology, palaetiology

an explanation of events of the past through the laws of causation. —paletiologist, palaetiologist, n. —paletiological, palaetiological, adj.

papyrology

the study of papyrus manuscripts. —papyrologist, n. —papyrological, adj.

philarchaist

Obsolete, one devoted to the archaic. —philarchaic, adj.

PAST. A term for a TENSE of the VERB concerned with events, actions, and states that no longer occur. The simple past (or PRETERITE) is regularly formed with -ed (walked). The complex past forms are: the past continuous (or past progressive) which combines a past form of auxiliary be with the -ing participle (was walking); the past perfect (or pluperfect), which combines auxiliary had with the -ed participle (had walked); the past perfect continuous, which combines these two (had been walking). Compare FUTURE, PRESENT.

past things past cannot be recalled proverbial saying, late 15th century, meaning that what has already happened cannot be changed (recalled here means ‘brought back’ rather than ‘remembered’).

See also first past the post, the mill cannot grind with the water that is past, the age of miracles is past at miracle.

past that is gone or has passed away, ago XIV; (gram.) XVI; sb. the p. XVI; one's p. XIX. ME. passed, past; arising out of the perfect tense of the vb. PASS2 formed with the vb. ‘to be’, e.g. the daies ben (i)passed/(i)past.
Hence as prep. beyond in time or place XIII; arising from such construction as ‘The day is short and it is passed pryme’; whence ellipt. as adv. XIX (e.g. to go past).