grossissaient

Grossissaient is the imperfect indicative third-person plural form of the French verb grossir, meaning to grow or to increase in size or weight. The form is built from the stem grossiss- plus the imperfect endings -aient: ils grossissaient. As a tense, it expresses ongoing or repeated growth in the past, typically used in narrative or formal writing.

Etymology and meaning: Grossir derives from Old French grossir, with roots linked to Latin crassus meaning thick or fat. Over time, the sense broadened to include any increase in size, amount, or weight. In modern French, grossir covers physical growth as well as figurative increases, such as numbers, prices, or statistics.

Usage: In contemporary French, grossissaient appears in literary or historical narration to describe gradual change over time. In everyday speech, speakers more often use other tenses or verbs (for example, augmenter or croître) for present or past growth, but the imperfect form remains correct for setting scenes or describing past trends. It can refer to physical growth (a tree or person gaining size or weight) or to figurative growth (population growth, budget figures, or data trends).

Examples: Les arbres grossissaient chaque année. Les chiffres du budget grossissaient de manière inquiétante. These illustrate the progressive nature of change in the past.

Notes: Grossissaient should be distinguished from other forms such as the present tense grossissent or the present participle grossissant. The form is specific to the imperfect plural and is primarily encountered in written or formal French.