pluperfect
UK[ˌpluːˈpɜːfɪkt]US[ˌpluːˈpɜːrfɪkt]
adj
(of a tense) denoting an action completed prior to some past point of time specified or implied, formed in English by had and the past participle.
n
the pluperfect tense.
Morpheme Breakdown
plu
perfect
plu
more
perfect
completed
Etymology
The word 'pluperfect' is a grammatical term with a transparently logical construction. It originates from the Latin phrase plus quam perfectum, which translates literally to 'more than perfect' or 'more than completed'. In Latin grammar, the 'perfect' tense described an action completed in the past. The 'pluperfect' was conceptualized as a tense that described an action completed even before that past perfect action, hence 'more than perfect'. This Latin phrase was shortened and adapted into Late Latin as pluperfectum, which then entered English via Old French, retaining its precise technical meaning for a tense expressing past-in-the-past.
Analysis
Structure: plu (more) + perfect (completed)
plu (from Latin plūs, meaning 'more'); perfect (from Latin perfectus, meaning 'completed').
Examples
In the sentence "I had already eaten when they arrived," the verb phrase "had eaten" is in the pluperfect.
The pluperfect is often used in complex narratives to establish a sequence of past events.
Students of Latin must learn to conjugate verbs in the pluperfect tense.