whilomadv.adj.conj.

Brit.

/ˈwʌɪləm/, U.S.

/ˈ(h)waɪləm/

Forms: Old English hwilum, hwilon, hwilan, hwilun, wilum, Middle English ( Orm.) whilumm, hwilem, ( h)wylem, hwylen, ȝwilene, wilen, Middle English whilen, Middle English whylon, ( whilhom), Middle English whilum, Middle English–1500s whylome, Middle English–1600s whylom, Middle English whylum, whilene, 1500s whillon, (Scottish vhylome), 1600s Scottish whillome, 1700s whillom, Middle English– whilome, whilom; Middle English quilum, Middle English Scottish qwhilom, Middle English Scottish quhilom, Middle English–1500s Scottish quhilum, quhylum, Middle English Scottish qwhilum, qwhylum, qwylum, 1500s quilome.

Etymology: Old English hwílum , later -on , -an , = Old Saxon hwîlon at times (Middle Dutch, Middle Low German wîlen formerly, Dutch wijlen late = deceased), Old High German hwîlôn , -on (Middle High German wîlen , wîlent , German weiland formerly) dative plural of while n.

A. adv. (and adj.)

†1. At times: = while adv. 1, whiles n., conj., and adv. 6b. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally

whiloma900

whilea1000

stoundmealc1000

stundumOE

otherwhileOE

umquhile1154

with and withc1175

by stoundsa1225

otherwhilesc1225

umbestound?c1225

umbewhilec1230

then and thenc1275

sometime…sometime1297

umstounda1300

by while13..

over while13..

sometime1340

umbe throwea1350

at timesa1382

now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393

umbwhile1393

eftsoona1398

sometimea1400

by sithesc1400

umbestoundsc1400

from time to (formerly unto) time1423

now and (also or) then1445

ever now and nowa1470

when and whenc1470

occasionallya1475

in timesa1500

whiles?a1500

whilomsa1500

sometimes1526

somewhiles1528

at whiles1540

ever now and then1542

a-whiles1546

somewhiles…, somewhiles1547

at sometimes1548

now and thenc1550

ever and anon1558

by occasions1562

on (also upon) occasion1562

as soon…as soon1581

every now and then (also again)1642

by a time1721

once and a while1765

ever and again1788

periodically1825

in spots1851

a900 Old Eng. Martyrol. 7 July Ymb twegen dagas, hwilum ymb þry, hwilum æfter ealre wucan.

a1000 Boeth. Metr. xxix. 53 Hwilum cerreð eft on uprodor ælbeorhta leg, leoht lyfte; ligeð him behindan hefig hrusan dæl, þeah hit hwilan ær eorðe sio cealde oninnan hire heold.

a1300 Cursor Mundi 25166 Þar es resun qui vr bon Es noght granted us quilum sun.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1788 Whilum þei went on alle four..& whan þei wery were þei went vp-riȝttes.

?a1400 Morte Arth. 1145 Thai tiltine to-gederz; Whilome Arthure ouer, and other-while vndyre.

a1586 (a1500) Freiris Berwik 353 in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 143 And quhylum [1568 Bannatyne quhylis] he sat still in ane studeying And quhylum on his buik he was reyding.

a1600 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems xlii. 24 Flie vhylome love, and it will folou thee.

a. At some past time; some time before or ago; once upon a time: = while adv. 2, whiles n., conj., and adv. 6a. archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4868 Ure laferrd crist himm sellf Vss ȝaff her offe bisne. Þær þær he seȝȝde himm sellf whilumm. Þurrh hiss prophetess tunge.

c1250 Kent. Serm. in Old Eng. Misc. 27 Hi offrede Stor, þet me offrede wylem be þo ialde laghe to here godes sacrefise.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14288 Þa wes hit iwurðen þat Merlin seide whilen [c1300 Otho wile].

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6786 To cumlinges do yee right na suike, For quilum war yee seluen slike.

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1 Whilom as olde stories tellen vs Ther was a Duc þ^t highte Theseus.

c1425 Wyntoun Cron. ii. Prol. 22 As Orosius qwhilum wrate.

a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) ii. xxiv. sig. s.ii Auncient poetes..Whilom flouryng in eloquence facundious.

1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades iv. 66 Oyntments..T'aswage the paine: the which whilom the cunning Chyron taughte To Esculape.

1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iii. 46 This Polydor whillon..Too king Treicius was sent.

1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso (1674) ii. lxi. 213 The whilome powerful Kingdom of Hungary.

1682 J. Dryden Mac Flecknoe 5 The Lute I whilome strung.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. x. viii. 66 The Squire..begun to roar forth the Name of Sophia as loudly..as whileom did Hercules that of Hylas.

1808 W. Scott Marmion iv. xi. 197 Where oft whilome were captives pent.

1879 R. Jefferies Wild Life i. 10 The wistful eyes which whilom glanced down..upon the sweet clover fields.

b. as adj. That existed, or was such, at a former time; former; †of a person, ‘late’, deceased (obsolete): = while adv. 2b. archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adjective]

ererc888

fernOE

oldOE

formerc1160

ratherc1330

before-goingc1384

formerc1384

forenexta1400

formea1400

while1399

antecedentc1400

precedentc1400

anteceding?a1425

late1446

whilom1452

preceding?a1475

forne1485

fore1490

heretofore1491

foregoing1530

toforegoing1532

further1557

firster1571

then1584

elder1594

quondam1598

forehand1600

previant1601

preallable1603

prior1607

anterior1608

previal1613

once1620

previous1621

predecessivea1627

antecedaneous?1631

preventive1641

prior1641

precedaneous1645

preventional1649

antegredient1652

senior1655

prevenient1656

precedential1661

antecedental1763

past-gone1784

antevenient1800

aforetime1835

one-time1850

onewhile1882

foretime1894

erstwhile1903

antecedane-

ere-

1452 in P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) II. 387 All them that had arte or parte of the slaughter..of whylum William, Earle of Douglas, my brother.

1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades iv. 70 Thy whilome sire..neuer quaild in mortal ioyne.

a1657 W. Mure Hist. Rowallane in Wks. (1898) II. 249 Designeing her the wife to whillome S^r Adame Mure.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. v. iii. 305 General Doppet, a whilom Medical man.

1868 M. E. Grant Duff Polit. Surv. 151 Mexico..that whilom dependency of the Spanish Crown.

1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. lxxvii. 17 When superstition and the habit of submission have vanished from the whilome subjects.

†3. At a future time, some time; in future.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day

yeteOE

hereafter1154

hereafterwardc1386

sometimec1386

oncea1393

whiloma1400

rather or latera1450

one of these daysa1470

one day1477

umquhile1489

in timea1500

with time?1531

sooner or later1577

odd shortly1681

some summer's day1697

first or last1700

some of these (‥) days1831

someday1898

down the road (also track)1924

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17732 Quilum sal þis ilk barn Be to sum men in uprising, Til oþer sum in dun falling.

a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. i. sig. a.iii Therfore I purpose..All suche ydlenes, whylom to refuse.

B. conj.

= while conj. 1, 3. dialect.

ΚΠ

c1616 R. C. Certaine Poems in Times' Whistle (1871) 121 A man..With whom his father held much conversation Whilome he livde.

1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 51 Subjects their King, the King his Subjects greets, Whilome the Scepter and the Plough-staffe meets.

1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 394 Whilom, whilst, during which time. ‘Stay whilom I come.’

C. Aberrant uses.

of whilom: for some time past. So this whilom.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [adverb] > for a long time past

of long1534

of whiloma1625

this whiloma1625

a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) iv. ii. sig. I2^v This money I do give ye, because of whilom You have bin thought my sonne.

a1653 Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) 72 I wot not what in mee is come to pass, In mee this whilome, who most gladely was.

Derivatives

† whiloms adv. [with -s, after whiles n., conj., and adv.] Scottish Obsolete (Middle English quhillumys, 1500s quhyllum(m)is, quhylomis; cf. West Frisian wilens), at times, sometimes.

ΘΚΠ