- whilst
- whilst late 14c., from WHILE (Cf. while) (q.v.) with adverbial gen. -s-, and excrescent -t- (as in amongst, amidst).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
whilst
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Whilst — Whilst, adv. [From {Whiles}; cf. {Amongst}.] While. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] Whilst the emperor lay at Antioch. Gibbon. [1913 Webster] {The whilst}, in the meantime; while. [Archaic.] Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whilst — W2S2 [waılst] conj BrE formal ↑while … Dictionary of contemporary English
whilst — [ waılst, hwaılst ] conjunction BRITISH FORMAL while … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
whilst — ► CONJUNCTION & ADVERB chiefly Brit. ▪ while … English terms dictionary
whilst — [hwīlst, wīlst] conj. [ME whilest, extended < whiles, WHILES] Chiefly Brit. WHILE … English World dictionary
whilst — while, whilst 1. Both forms are used in BrE, but whilst is not much used in AmE. There is no distinction in usage as regards meaning, although varying grammatical patterns are noted below. 2. The word is a conjunction, and its primary sense is… … Modern English usage
whilst */*/ — UK [waɪlst] / US / US [hwaɪlst] conjunction British formal while He became involved in student politics whilst studying at Nottingham University. Whilst I agree that boxing is dangerous, I also believe that it would be wrong to ban it … English dictionary
whilst — [[t](h)waɪlst[/t]] ♦♦♦ CONJ SUBORD Whilst means the same as the conjunction while. [mainly BRIT, FORMAL or LITERARY] … English dictionary
whilst — conjunction Etymology: Middle English whilest, alteration of whiles Date: 14th century chiefly British while … New Collegiate Dictionary
whilst — /hwuylst, wuylst/, conj. while. [1325 75; ME whilest, equiv. to WHILES + parasitic t as in amongst, amidst] * * * … Universalium
