preternatural means beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
preternatural is pronounced /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/.
Why “preternatural” is a great word
PRETERNATURAL — [Adjective] Beyond what is normal or natural, to a degree that seems inexplicable or uncanny. From the Latin praeter ("beyond, past") and natura ("nature"), via Medieval Latin praeternaturalis. Unlike "supernatural," which implies a realm or agency wholly outside nature's laws, or "extraordinary," which merely notes a remarkable deviation, preternatural describes phenomena that press at the extreme, hidden limits of the natural order. It is the unnerving silence of a forest where every animal has frozen in unison, the scent of ozone before a quake, or the uncanny grace of a predator moving with impossible economy. It is nature, caught in a moment of impossible fidelity to its own latent potential, reminding us that the known world is frayed at the edges.
adj
- Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange.“I have employed cold air, and very often spongings with cold water, in order to moderate the preternatural heat of the skin, and to check the increased velocity of the circulation.”
- Having an existence outside of the natural world.“Macbeth is like a record of a preternatural and tragical event.”