noun
- Plural of aorist; verb forms in Greek and other languages that express action without reference to duration or completion.
Usage: linguistics; grammar; primarily used in classical Greek studies
Examples
- In ancient Greek, aorists are used to describe simple past actions.
- The student learned to identify aorists in her classical Greek course.
- Many aorists in Homer's epics convey swift, decisive actions.
- Linguists distinguish aorists from imperfect forms by their aspectual properties.
- The aorists in this passage emphasize the completion of the event.