noun
- A verb tense in Greek and some other languages that expresses a simple past action without indicating duration or completion.
Usage: linguistics; grammar
adjective
- Of or relating to the aorist tense.
Usage: linguistics; grammar
Examples
- In ancient Greek, the aorist tense is used to describe a single, completed action in the past.
- The aorist form of the verb does not specify whether the action was habitual or momentary.
- Students of classical Greek must learn to recognize aorist verb endings.
- The aorist tense contrasts with the imperfect, which emphasizes ongoing or repeated past actions.
- Many aorist verbs in Greek have irregular stems that differ from their present forms.
- The aorist indicative is one of the most common verb forms in ancient Greek texts.