whilom

[hwahy-luh m, wahy-]Archaic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whilom ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

former; erstwhile: whilom friends.

adverb

at one time.

Origin of whilom

before 900; Middle English; Old English hwīlum at times, dative plural of hwīl while (noun)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for whilom

old, departed, erstwhile, already, formerly, previously, earlier, late, before, anterior, antecedent, ancient, bygone, past, prior, above, first, aforesaid, foregoing, once

Examples from the Web for whilom

Historical Examples of whilom

We may misuse it, but we can scarce do worse in this respect than our whilom masters.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial Issue
Various
Why should this man, this whilom friend of his, have everything?
The Moving Finger
Mary Gaunt
Not only should they covenant to give no aid to the whilom??
Pioneers of the Old South
Mary Johnston
He was sorry to hear that his whilom chums, the "captain" and "lieutenant," were ill.
Fifty-Two Stories For Girls
Various
Selma, my whilom Finnish friend, was having her banns published.
The Confession of a Fool
August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for whilom

whilom

adverb

formerly; once

adjective

(prenominal) one-time; former

Word Origin for whilom

Old English hwīlum, dative plural of hwīl while; related to Old High German hwīlōm, German weiland of old

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whilom

adv.

"at time past" (archaic), c.1200, from Old English hwilum "at times," dative case of while (q.v.). Cf. German weiland "formerly."