As a Noun: 1. The period of time long before the present; a period of time in the distant past; olden times; olden days. 2. Events in the past. English = history. 3. A subject studied in schools, colleges, and universities that deals with the past. English = history. As a Verb or Adjective: 1. To go back in time to the distant past. 2. To belong to the distant past and no longer the present; to be very old, to belong to the distant past. English = (be) olden, (be) ancient. 3. To relate to history. English = (be) historical. As Modifier: 1. Used after time signs and/or at the beginning of a signed sentence to set the time frame of the action a long time in the past. English = formerly, long ago, of old, in times past, in the olden times. 2. Used at the beginning of a story to introduce it. English = once upon a time.