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whilom

[ hwahy-luh m, wahy- ]
/ ˈʰwaɪ ləm, ˈwaɪ- /
Archaic.
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adjective

former; erstwhile: whilom friends.

adverb

at one time.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

while there's life there's hope, while there's life, there's hope, whiles, whilk, whillikers, whilom, whilst, whim, whim-wham, whimbrel, whimper

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

Examples from the Web for whilom

British Dictionary definitions for whilom

whilom

/ (ˈwaɪləm) archaic /

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

whilom

adv.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper