Where does “awhile” come from?
Awhile comes from Old English hwile, from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic hwīlō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷyeh₁-.
awhile (English): For some time; for a short time; In the meantime;...
Definitions
- For some time; for a short time; In the meantime;...
Ancestry of “awhile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ane | a |
| 2 | Old English | hwīle | — |