pluperfect

American  

[ploo-pur-fikt] / pluˈpɜr fɪkt /

noun

Grammar.

1. Also past perfect a verb construction, in English made up of the past tense auxiliary verb had followed by the past participle of the main verb, used to express an action or state that was already complete before a particular point of reference in the past, such as He had cleaned the place up before I arrived and Yesterday she told me she had been in the hospital for a week.

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adjective

1. Grammar. null past perfect designating a verb construction used to express an action or state that was already complete before a particular point of reference in the past.

2. more than perfect.

   He spoke the language with pluperfect precision.

pluperfect British  

/ pluːˈpɜːfɪkt /

adjective

1. grammar another term for past perfect

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Etymology

Origin of pluperfect

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin plū(s quam) perfectum “(more than) perfect,” translation of Greek hypersyntelikós; plus ( def. ), perfect ( def. )

Explanation

In grammar, pluperfect is the verb tense that you use to talk about something that was finished or completed in the past. "They had eaten at five" uses the pluperfect. Use pluperfect as a noun or an adjective to describe the tense you use to talk about something that didn't just occur in the past, but before the time that you're considering. This is also sometimes called the past perfect. The word pluperfect comes from the Latin phrase plus quam perfectum, "more than perfect." The Latin perfect tense refers to the past, while the pluperfect references "more than past."

Example Sentences

Gable is pluperfect and gives a brilliant performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2023

“You are the pluperfect embodiment of someone who has dedicated her life to helping others,” he informed her.

From Washington Post • Sep. 19, 2013

Alas, it should be recorded that her effort is not pluperfect.

From Time Magazine Archive

In a perfect cast, Dustin Hoffman is pluperfect.

From Time Magazine Archive

The past-of-the-past is called the pluperfect, and it is formed with the auxiliary had, as in I had already eaten.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker