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 | English | worthwhile | Good and important enough to spend time, effort,... |
| 3 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 4 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 5 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
Words derived from “whiles”