estimaient

"Estimaient" is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the French verb "estimer." This verb broadly translates to "to estimate," "to consider," "to value," or "to judge." When "estimaient" is used, it indicates that a group of people or a plural subject was performing an action of estimation, consideration, valuation, or judgment in the past, with the imperfect tense suggesting an ongoing or habitual action, or a description of a past state.

For example, if a historical text states "Ils estimaient que le projet était trop coûteux," it means "They considered that the project was too expensive." The imperfect tense here describes their ongoing opinion at a particular point in the past. Similarly, "Les experts estimaient la population à cinq millions" translates to "The experts estimated the population at five million," implying a past calculation or assessment. The specific meaning of "estimaient" is thus context-dependent, relying on the surrounding sentence to clarify whether it refers to a numerical estimate, a personal opinion, a judgment of worth, or a general assessment.