a verb tense in some languages (classical Greek and Sanskrit) expressing action (especially past action) without indicating its completion or continuation
Aorist (from Greek αοÏιστος, indefinite or unlimited) is a term used in certain Indo-European languages to refer to a particular grammatical tense and/or aspect. It is used to denote action in the past, but is distinguished from the imperfect and perfect; it is similar to the preterite in languages such as Spanish.