erstwhile

WOTD - 11 June 2009    

English

Etymology

erst +‎ while

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɜː(ɹ)st.waɪl/
• (US) IPA: /ˈɝst.waɪl/

Adverb

erstwhile (not comparable)

1. Formerly; in the past.

Synonyms

• erewhile

Translations

erstwhile — see formerly

Adjective

erstwhile (not comparable)

1. (literary, law) Former, previous.

Synonyms

• (former, previous): former, once, previous, quondam
• See also Wikisaurus:former

Translations

former, previous

Czech: bývalý (cs), někdejší (cs) Dutch: voormalig (nl), vroeger (nl) Finnish: varhempi (fi), entinen (fi), aiempi (fi) French: ancien (fr), d'autrefois (fr)

German: vormalig (de), ehemalig (de), früher (de) Russian: былой (ru), прежний (ru) Serbian: пређашње (sr) c. Swedish: tidigare (sv), föregående (sv), förre (sv)