The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Preterite \Pret"er*ite\, a. & n.
   Same as Preterit.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Preterit \Pret"er*it\ (?; 277), a. [L. praeteritus, p. p. of
   praeterire to go or pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go:
   cf. F. pr['e]t['e]rit. See Issue.] [Written also
   preterite and pr[ae]terite.]
   1. (Gram.) Past; -- applied to a tense which expresses an
      action or state as past.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Belonging wholly to the past; passed by. [R.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Things and persons as thoroughly preterite as
            Romulus or Numa.                      --Lowell.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

preterite
    n 1: a term formerly used to refer to the simple past tense
         [syn: preterit, preterite]