verbs which change their form to show tenses in different ways than usual. For instance, the past tense is usually shown by adding d or ed to a word, so that the pastform of "stay" is "stayed." An irregular verb, however, shows the past by changing in some other way. For example, the pastform of "sing" is "sang." Other languages have similar situations, and German is noted for its numerous and unpatterned irregular verbs. —Editor, from Instant EnglishHandbook and the German Translation I/C. (Machinery of the Mind Glossary) Final approval 15/11/89