Créèrent is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb créer. The verb créer generally translates to "to create," "to make," "to invent," or "to found." Therefore, créèrent signifies that a group of people or entities performed the action of creating, making, inventing, or founding in the past, with the imperfect tense suggesting an ongoing or habitual action, or a background description of events. It is used to describe past actions that were in progress, repeated, or to set the scene for a narrative. For example, "Ils créèrent un nouveau monde" would translate to "They created a new world" or "They were creating a new world," depending on the context. This verb form is essential for constructing past narratives and descriptions in the French language.