aorist

American  

[ey-uh-rist] / ˈeɪ ə rɪst /

noun

1. a verb tense, as in Classical Greek, expressing action or, in the indicative mood, past action, without further limitation or implication.

---

adjective

1. of or in this tense.

aorist British  

/ ˈeɪərɪst, ˈɛərɪst /

noun

1. grammar a tense of the verb in classical Greek and in certain other inflected languages, indicating past action without reference to whether the action involved was momentary or continuous Compare perfect imperfect

---

Other Word Forms

• aoristic adjective
• aoristically adverb

Etymology

Origin of aorist

1575–85; < Greek aóristos unlimited, equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + ( h ) oristós limited ( *horid- (base of horízein to bound, limit; horizon ) + -tos adj. suffix)

Example Sentences

After breakfast I went back to my room and began to work on the irregular second aorists.

From Literature

The middle and passive voices are alike except in two tenses, the future and the aorist.

From Project Gutenberg

No new second aorists, we may be sure, were formed any more than new “strong” tenses, such as came or sang, can be formed in English.

From Project Gutenberg

N. Note the change from the imperative to the aorist.

From Project Gutenberg

Other forms which Greek has added to the original system are the pluperfect—in form a past of the perfect stem with aorist endings.

From Project Gutenberg