seldomadv.adj.
/ˈsɛldəm/, U.S. /ˈsɛldəm/ A. adv. † c. seldom or ever: by confusion of ‘seldom if ever’ and ‘seldom or never’. (Cf. rarely or ever at rarely adv. Phrases 2b.)
a. On few occasions, in few cases or instances, not often; rarely, infrequently.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb]
seldom-whenc888
seldomc897
seld-whenc897
seldoma1000
seldc1000
seldom-timec1386
seld-timec1386
seld-whilea1387
seld-where1390
thinc1405
rare?1440
sendle?a1500
daintilya1513
thinlyc1545
rarely1546
once in a moon1547
out-takingly1549
seldomly1549
for once and away1583
sparingly1590
scarce1596
unfrequently1646
unoften1654
infrequently1673
once in a while1765
sporadically1765
sparselya1871
seldom-while1876
(for) once in a way1891
α.
β. a1000 [see sense A. b]. c1220 Bestiary 241 Ðe mire..resteð hire seldum.1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 756 For seldom a man þat has þat held, Hele has, and him-self may weld.c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 65/1 Ceeldam (P. celdom), raro.c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 77 Seeldem fallith the contrarie.1589 T. Nashe Anat. Absurditie sig. Aiiiiv That face [is] most faire, which seldommest comes into the open ayre.1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 47 Or oftner, or seldomer, as occasion required.1678 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Prov. (ed. 2) 348 Listners seldome hear good of themselves.1748 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 2 Feb. (1966) II. 349 Complainers are seldom pity'd, and boasters yet seldomer beleiv'd.1869 J. S. Mill Subject. Women iii. 142 Women, it is said, seldomer fall under the penal law..than men.Proverb.1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. iv. sig. B Seldom comth the better.1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III ii. iii. 4 Bad newes birlady, seldome comes the better. View more context for this quotation1650 H. Parker True Portraiture Kings Eng. 32 Yet (as we say) Seldom comes a better; when one is cut off, another like the Hidra's head springs up in his place.c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care ix. 57 Seldun mon geleornað on miclum rice eaðmodnesse.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8468 Forr þi þatt arrchelaw þe king Þær munnde cumenn seldenn.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) xiii. ii. 441 Also in wynter selden or neuer pytte water fresyth.
c1460 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (1885) iii. 114 Thai eyten no flesshe but yf it be right seldon a litle larde.
a1510 G. Douglas King Hart i. 142 For seildin had thai sene sic folkis befoir.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 57 Pryncys & lordys syldon loke to the gud ordur & welth of theyr subjectys.
b. With ever added pleonastically. (Cf. ever adv. 5a, rarely adv. 2)
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb]
seldom-whenc888
seldomc897
seld-whenc897
seldoma1000
seldc1000
seldom-timec1386
seld-timec1386
seld-whilea1387
seld-where1390
thinc1405
rare?1440
sendle?a1500
daintilya1513
thinlyc1545
rarely1546
once in a moon1547
out-takingly1549
seldomly1549
for once and away1583
sparingly1590
scarce1596
unfrequently1646
unoften1654
infrequently1673
once in a while1765
sporadically1765
sparselya1871
seldom-while1876
(for) once in a way1891
a1000 Solomon & Saturn 269 Seldum æfre his leoma licggað.
1603 Englands Welcome to Iames sig. C Tyrants seldome euer brooke remorse.
1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. iv. 17) 53 They seek to immortalize themselves upon their possessions; but the third heire seldome ever owns them.
1813 J. C. Hobhouse Journey 78 The peasants seldom ever can get a farthing for their beasts.
1828 T. Carlyle in Foreign Rev. 2 460 And seldom ever can he succeed.
2013 Wildlife Soc. Bull. 37 570/2 Fires seldom ever burn adjacent grazed buffelgrass pastures.
ΚΠ
1752 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 14. ⁋2 The Players seldom or ever throw out the Voice with any Vehemence.
1771 H. Lawrence Contempl. Man I. ii. i. 83 All those People who were afflicted with any Illness, seldom or ever survived it.
1804–6 S. Smith Elem. Sketches Moral Philos. (1850) v. 75 Dreamers..who walk in their sleep have seldom or ever the most distant recollections that they have been dreaming at all.
1827 D. Johnson Sketches Indian Field Sports (ed. 2) 100 It is what they seldom or ever do.
1873 D. Clark Pen Photographs 62 The smooth flowing notes of a rhythmal chorus are there, but seldom or ever the battle scenes of a grand Oratorio.
d. it is seldom that… (Cf. it is (very) rarely that at rarely adv. Phrases 1.) Also †it is seldom when… (Cf. seldom-when adv. at Compounds 2.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > infrequently or it rarely happens [phrase]
it is seldom that1390
it is seldom when1600
(for) once in a way1759
blue moon1821
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 30 Ful selden is that welthe Can soffre his oghne astat in helthe.
c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) ii. lviii. 98 Seelden it was þat j sih hire.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 79 Tis seldome when the bee doth leaue her comb, In the dead carion. View more context for this quotation
1812 S. T. Coleridge Lett. (1895) 599 It is seldom that want of leisure can be fairly stated as an excuse for not writing.
a1859 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. (1861) V. xxiv. 229 It was seldom indeed that a white freeman..was employed in severe bodily labour.
B. adj.
Rare, infrequent. Now chiefly U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adjective]
seld1398
seldom1483
rare1565
secular1599
unfrequent1611
straggling1618
infrequent1622
unobvious1643
far-between1743
rarish1772
unwonted1785
sporadic1842
low frequency1946
1483 Cath. Angl. 328/2 Seldome [MS. seldone], jnfrequens, rarus, rariter.
1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. lxxjv Chastite is an exceadinge selden gyfte.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1396/2 Yet amongst my manie volumes, I hope Gods booke hath not beene my sildomest studies.
1587 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 445 Yf at seldom tymes he should chaunce to play at lawfull games.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets lii. sig. D3v Blunting the fine point of seldome pleasure. View more context for this quotation
1650 Bp. J. Taylor Rule of Holy Living (1727) ii. §2. 59 A suppressed and seldom anger.
1659 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man (rev. ed.) v. §14. 118 We should think it wisdom to be as frequent as we are ordinarily seldom in it [sc. prayer].
1797 A. Seward Lett. (1811) IV. 302 His ‘nor did not’, used as an affirmative at seldom times by Milton, is frequent here.
1822 C. Lamb Detached Thoughts on Bks. in Elia 2nd Ser. Seldom-readers are slow readers.
1865 A. D. Whitney Gayworthys xix They..watched, with grieved hearts and seldom speech.
1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxii. 257 The seldomest spectacle on the Mississippi to-day is a wood-pile.
1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 18 Nov. 1/2 On evenings reserved..to the seldom speakers.
1959 W. Golding Free Fall i. 26 My seldom night terrors.
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) With her small seldom smile. E. Wilson.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
seldom-comfortless adj.
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxix. sig. Gg5 His seldom-comfortlesse flatterers.
seldom-seen adj. (cf. seldseen adj.)
ΚΠ
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 452/1 Selkow, or seeldam seyne, rarus.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 2289 Ful seldyn tyme speke he walde.
1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. i. 22 So woorthie and so seldome-seene guests.
seldom-trodden adj.
C2.
seldom-time adj. (also seldom-times)
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb]
seldom-whenc888
seldomc897
seld-whenc897
seldoma1000
seldc1000
seldom-timec1386
seld-timec1386
seld-whilea1387
seld-where1390
thinc1405
rare?1440
sendle?a1500
daintilya1513
thinlyc1545
rarely1546
once in a moon1547
out-takingly1549
seldomly1549
for once and away1583
sparingly1590
scarce1596
unfrequently1646
unoften1654
infrequently1673
once in a while1765
sporadically1765
sparselya1871
seldom-while1876
(for) once in a way1891
c1386 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 90 I me reioysed of my liberte, That seelde [v.r. selden] tyme is founde in mariage.
1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes 106 It seldome times chaunceth but that one of the parties are deceived.
seldom-when adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb]
seldom-whenc888
seldomc897
seld-whenc897
seldoma1000
seldc1000
seldom-timec1386
seld-timec1386
seld-whilea1387
seld-where1390
thinc1405
rare?1440
sendle?a1500
daintilya1513
thinlyc1545
rarely1546
once in a moon1547
out-takingly1549
seldomly1549
for once and away1583
sparingly1590
scarce1596
unfrequently1646
unoften1654
infrequently1673
once in a while1765
sporadically1765
sparselya1871
seldom-while1876
(for) once in a way1891
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvii. §4 Þeah hi seldum hwonne beswemde weorðen.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 237 He duelte evere in chambre stille,..That selden whanne in other stede If that he wolde wenden oute.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 87 Sildome when The steeled Gaoler is the friend of men. View more context for this quotation
seldom-while adv. rarely.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb]
seldom-whenc888
seldomc897
seld-whenc897
seldoma1000
seldc1000
seldom-timec1386
seld-timec1386
seld-whilea1387
seld-where1390
thinc1405
rare?1440
sendle?a1500
daintilya1513
thinlyc1545
rarely1546
once in a moon1547
out-takingly1549
seldomly1549
for once and away1583
sparingly1590
scarce1596
unfrequently1646
unoften1654
infrequently1673
once in a while1765
sporadically1765
sparselya1871
seldom-while1876
(for) once in a way1891
1876 S. Lanier Psalm of West in Poems 107 Solemn wings that wave but seldomwhile.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.adj.c888