while
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old English hwīl, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (compare Dutch wijl, Low German Wiel, German Weile), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Cognate with Albanian sillë (“breakfast”), Latin tranquillus, Sanskrit चिर (cirá), Persian شاد (šād).
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ʍaɪl/, IPA(key): /waɪl/
(in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)Audio (US) (file)
(in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)Audio (US) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aɪl
Noun[edit]
while (plural whiles)
- An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.
- He lectured for quite a long while.
- 1857, Charles Kingsley, [Letters and Memories]:
- Do the good that's nearest Though it's dull at whiles.
Synonyms[edit]
- spell; see also Thesaurus:uncertain period
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
uncertain duration of time, a period of time
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Conjunction[edit]
while
- During the same time that.
- He was sleeping while I was singing.
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 12, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
- While the powwow was going on the big woman came back again. She was consider'ble rumpled and scratched up, but there was fire in her eye.
- 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
- While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
- Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
- Although.
- This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.
- 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
- While Britain’s recession has been deep and unforgiving, in London it has been relatively shallow.
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
- I'll wait while you've finished painting.
- As long as.
- While you're at school you may live at home.
- (Can we date this quote by I. Watts and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- Use your memory; you will sensibly experience a gradual improvement, while you take care not to overload it.
- (media, public policy) Used to denote an individual experiencing racial profiling when performing a seemingly benign activity.
- He was detained for four hours at the store yesterday. His crime? Shopping while black.
- 2016 November 7, Michael T. Luongo, “Traveling While Muslim Complicates Air Travel”, in The New York Times[1]:
- Ms. Syed, along with many of her American Muslim friends and Islamic-rights advocates, is all too familiar with what many refer to as the stigma of traveling while Muslim.
- 2019 March 8, Tom Perkins, “'Gardening while black': lawsuit targets white accusers over 'outrageous' claims”, in The Guardian[2]:
- He added that the case took an emotional toll and left him humiliated by the accusations when, in fact, all he had been doing was "gardening while black".
Synonyms[edit]
- (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
Translations[edit]
during the same time that
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although
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until — see until
as long as
Preposition[edit]
while
- (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
- (Can we date this quote by Beaumont and Fletcher and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
- (Can we date this quote by Beaumont and Fletcher and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
Verb[edit]
while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)
- (transitive) To pass (time) idly.
- (Can we date this quote by Longfellow and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- The lovely lady whiled the hours away.
- (Can we date this quote by Longfellow and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- To loiter.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Spectator to this entry?)
- Synonyms: hang around, linger
Synonyms[edit]
- (loiter): see also Thesaurus:loiter
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from the PIE root *kʷyeh₁-
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English conjunctions
- Northern England English
- Scottish English
- Requests for date/I. Watts
- en:Media
- English prepositions
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English basic words
- English subordinating conjunctions
- en:Time
