Where does “whiles” come from?
Whiles derives from English while plus the English possessive suffix -'s, which comes from Middle English -s, from Old French -esse, from Proto-Indo-European -es, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European -iskos and -ēs.
whiles (English): sometimes; at times; meanwhile; while
Definitions
- sometimes; at times; meanwhile; while
Ancestry of “whiles”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | while | An uncertain duration of time, a period of time;... |
| 2 | Middle English | whyle | while |
| 3 | Old English | hwīl | time; while; while; time, while |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwīlu | period of rest, pause; time, period of time,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwīlō | time, period of time, while; period of rest,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷyeh₁- | to rest; rest, peace |