whilere
A while ago; a time before; formerly, previously.
Adverb
- A while ago; a time before; formerly, previously.
- VVe met that villen (God from him me bleſſe) / That curſed wight, from whom I ſcapt whyleare, / A man of hell, that cals himſelfe Deſpayre: […] - 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […],...
- Thou mak'ſt me merry: I am full of pleaſure, / Let vs be iocond. Will you troule the Catch / You taught me but whileare? - 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares...
- He who with all Heav'ns heraldry whileare / Enter'd the world, now bleeds to give us eaſe; / Alas, how ſoon our ſin / Sore doth begin / His Infancy to ſeaſe! - c. 1633–1634, John Milton, “Upon the Circumcision”, in...
Synonyms: erewhile erstwhile afore aforehand already antecedently at one time before beforehand beforetime ere erenow erstwhiles foretime formerly in advance in the past late once precedently previously sometime sometimes therebefore
Antonyms: anymore any more at present at the minute at the moment at this moment in time atm currently just now now nowadays presently right now these days after afterhand afterward afterwards followingly hereafter later sithence subsequently yet
Origin
From Middle English whil er, whileere [and other forms], whilom er (“some while ago or before, formerly”), from Old English hwīle ǣr, hwīlum ǣr, from hwīle (accusative singular of hwīl), hwīlum (“at some time in the past, once; sometimes”) (dative plural of hwīl (“period of time, a while”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest; peace, rest”)) + ǣr (“before”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *airiz (“before, earlier”)). The English word is analysable as while + ere.