English Online Dictionary. What means while? What does while mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English whyle, from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (compare Dutch wijl, Low German Wiel, German Weile, Danish hvile (“rest”), Norwegian Bokmål hvile (“rest”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Cognate with Albanian sillë (“breakfast”), Latin tranquillus, Sanskrit चिर (cirá), Persian شاد (šâd).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʍaɪl/, /waɪl/
- (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
- (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
- Rhymes: -aɪl
Noun
while (plural (archaic or informal) whiles)
- An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.
- It’s a long while since anyone lived there, so it’s a ruin now.
- (US) an uncertain long period of time
- (Philippines) an uncertain short moment
Synonyms
- spell; see also Thesaurus:uncertain period
Antonyms
- (uncertain long period): bit
Derived terms
Translations
Conjunction
while
- During the same time that.
- Although.
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
- As long as.
- (media, public policy) Used to denote an individual experiencing racial profiling when performing a seemingly benign activity.
Usage notes
- See whilst.
Synonyms
- (during the same time that): whilst; see also Thesaurus:while
- (although): as much as; see also Thesaurus:even though
- (until): till; see also Thesaurus:until
- (as long as): provided that, providing, so long as
Derived terms
Related terms
- while loop
Translations
Preposition
while
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
Verb
while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)
- (transitive, now only in combination with away; see also while away) To pass (time) idly.
- Synonyms: idle, laze, lounge
- (transitive) To occupy or entertain (someone) in order to let time pass.
- (intransitive, archaic) To elapse, to pass.
- Alternative spelling or misspelling of wile.
Synonyms
- (loiter): see also Thesaurus:loiter
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
References
- “while”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “while”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Yola
Etymology
From Middle English whyle, from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu.
Noun
while
- while
References
- Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 22