whilst

English Online Dictionary. What means whilst‎? What does whilst mean?

English

Etymology

From Late Middle English whilst, whilest, qwhilste (Northern England), quilest (Northwest Midlands) [and other forms], from whiles (“during the time that, while; only so long as; provided that; because, since; until”) + -t (excrescent suffix, perhaps due to a combination of -(e)s and the following word the, or influenced by the superlative suffix -est). Whiles is derived from whiles (“period of time, a while”, noun) (probably from the second element of adverbs and conjunctions like otherwhiles and somewhiles), from while (“period of time, a while”, noun) + -s (suffix forming adverbs of manner, space, and time); and while is from Old English hwīl (“period of time, a while”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (“period of time, a while; period of rest, break, pause”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest; peace, rest”). The English word can be analysed as whiles +‎ -t (excrescent suffix appended to words suffixed with -s).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /waɪlst/
• (without the wine–whine merger) IPA^(key): /ʍaɪlst/
• Rhymes: -aɪlst
• (chiefly US, UK, sometimes proscribed) IPA^(key): /wɪlst/

Adverb

whilst (not comparable)

1. (archaic or obsolete except dialectal) Often preceded by the: During the time; meanwhile.

Translations

Conjunction

whilst

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, literary or rare in North America) Synonym of while

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:while

   1. During the whole, or until the end, of the time that; as long as, at the same time.

      Synonym: (archaic or dialectal) whiles

      Drivers must switch off engines whilst on stand. ― instruction on a bus stand sign
   2. Within, or before the end, of the time that.
   3. Although; in contrast; whereas.
   4. Besides; in addition.
   5. Only if; provided that; as long as.

Usage notes

In American English, whilst is generally considered to be pretentious, poetic, or archaic. The Penguin Working Words (1993) recommends while only, and notes that whilst is old-fashioned. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage (2004) and Webster’s Guide to English Usage (2004) comment on its regional character, and note that it is rare in American usage. It is used and understood more generally in International English. On the other hand, The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style (2005), writes that, “while using whilst runs the risk of sounding pretentious, it can sometimes add a literary or ironically formal note to a piece of writing”.

Alternative forms

• whilest, whylst, whylest (obsolete)

Translations

References

Further reading

• while on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “whilst”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “whilst”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.