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seldom
[ sel-duhm ]
/ ˈsɛl dəm /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adverb
on only a few occasions; rarely; infrequently; not often: We seldom see our old neighbors anymore.
adjective
rare; infrequent.
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Origin of seldom
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English seldum, variant of seldan; cognate with German selten, Gothic silda-
historical usage of seldom
The adverb seldom has several spellings in Old English, among them seldan, seldon, seldun, and seldum. The last form is an innovation modeled on the dative plurals of nouns used as adverbs, for example Old English hwīlum “at times, sometimes,” the source of the archaic English whilom, from the noun hwīl “a space of time, an indefinite time, a while.” Old English seldan (but not the spelling seldum ) corresponds to Old Frisian sielden, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch selden, and German selten.
OTHER WORDS FROM seldom
sel·dom·ness, nounWords nearby seldom
selamlik, Selangor, Selby, selcouth, Selden, seldom, seldomly, select, selecta, selectance, select committee
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use seldom in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for seldom
seldom
/ (ˈsɛldəm) /
adverb
not often; rarely
Word Origin for seldom
Old English seldon; related to Old Norse sjāldan, Old High German seltan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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