décrivèrent

The French word "décrivirent" is the third-person plural past historic (passé simple) of the verb "décrire." The passé simple is a literary tense primarily used in written narratives to describe actions that were completed in the past. Therefore, "décrivirent" translates to "they described" or "they wrote about" in English.

When encountered in a text, "décrivirent" indicates that a group of individuals performed the action of describing something at a specific point in the past. For example, a historical account might state that "les témoins décrivirent les événements" (the witnesses described the events). The context of the sentence will clarify what was being described.

While the passé simple is common in formal writing, especially in literature and historical accounts, it is rarely used in spoken French. In everyday conversation, the compound past tense (passé composé) is more typically employed to express past actions. Thus, in spoken French, one would usually say "ils ont décrit" instead of "ils décrivirent." Understanding "décrivirent" is crucial for comprehending classical French literature and formal historical texts.