whilom C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈhwaɪləm/ UK /ˈwaɪləm/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv archaic word for formerly or former The whilom captain now tended a small village garden. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · archaic word for formerly... formerlyonceerstwhileformersometime ↔ Opposites nowcurrently Word family Related forms whilewhiles Etymology AI details From Middle English whilom, from Old English hwīlum ('at times, formerly'), the dative plural of hwīl ('time, while'), thus literally 'at whiles'. hwīlum Old English hwīl Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # whilom **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈhwaɪləm/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwaɪləm/ ## Meanings 1. archaic word for formerly or former ## Examples - The whilom captain now tended a small village garden. ## Synonyms - formerly - once - erstwhile - former - sometime ## Antonyms - now - currently ## Related Forms - while - whiles ## Roots and Affixes - Root: hwīlum - Root: hwīl ## Etymology From Middle English whilom, from Old English hwīlum ('at times, formerly'), the dative plural of hwīl ('time, while'), thus literally 'at whiles'. ## AI Etymology Whilom comes from Middle English whilom, from Old English hwīlum ('at times, formerly'), the dative plural of hwīl ('time, while'), thus literally 'at whiles'. The historical trail runs through Old English hwīlum and Old English hwīl. In modern use it means archaic word for formerly or former. Related forms include while, whiles. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Register & Style markdown