whilom
/ˈwaɪləm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.34 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
At some time in the past; formerly, once upon a time.
Example Sentences
- "Whilom, as olde stories tellen us [...]"
- "Lo I the man, vvhoſe Muſe vvhilome did maske, As time her taught, in lowly Sheapards vveeds, Am novv enforſt a far unfitter taske, […]"
- "VVith ſuch an invention [a sumptuary law] did Zelevcus vvhilome correct the corrupted maners of the Locrines."
- "In Northern Clime a valorous Knight Did whilom kill his Bear in fight, And wound a Fidler: we have both Of these the objects of our Wroth And equal Fame and Glory from Th' Attempt or Victory to come."
- "My vvarbling Lute, the Lute I vvhilom ſtrung VVhen to King John of Portugal I ſung, VVas but the Prelude to that glorious Day, VVhen thou on Silver Thames did'ſt cut thy vvay, VVith vvell-tim'd Oars before the Royal Barge, Svvell'd vvith the Pride of thy Celeſtial charge; […]"
- "The Squire himſelf novv ſallied forth, and begun to roar forth the Name of Sophia loudly, and in as hoarſe a Voice, as vvhileom did Hercules that of Hylas: […]"
Etymology
From Middle English whilom (“(adverb) at one time, formerly, once; once upon a time; at times, sometimes; at a future time; (conjunction) while”) [and other forms], from Old English hwīlum, hwīlan, hwīlon (“at one time, once; sometimes”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlum, the dative plural of *hwīlu (“period of time, time, while; period of rest, pause”), from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (“period of time, time, while; period of rest, pause”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest; peace, rest”). The Oxford English Dictionary regards adverb sense 2.2 (“for some time that has passed”) as “aberrant”. Cognates * Old High German hwīlōn (Middle High German wīlen, wīlent, German weiland (“at one time, formerly”)) * Old Saxon hwīlon (“sometimes”) (Middle Dutch wilen, Middle Low German wilen (“at one time, formerly”), Dutch wijlen (“deceased, late”))
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *kʷyeh₁-, whilom, hwīlum, *hwīlum, *hwīlō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈwaɪləm/
- British English: /ˈwaɪləm/