"one who favors the past, one whose chief interest is in the past," 1864, from preter- "before" + -ist. As a theological term from 1843, "one who holds that the Apocalyptic prophecies have been nearly or entirely fulfilled" (opposed to futurist).
pretense
pretension
pretentious
preter-
preterhuman
preterist
preterite
preterm
pretermission
pretermit
preternatural