while
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Old English hwīl, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō. Cognate with Low German wil.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
while (plural whiles)
- A certain duration of time, a period of time.
- He lectured for quite a long while.
Translations [edit]
certain duration of time, a period of time
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Conjunction [edit]
while
- During the same time that.
- He was sleeping while I was singing.
- 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
- While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- although
- This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.
- (Northern England, Scotland) until
- I'll wait while you've finished painting.
- I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight. — Beaumont and Flanders.
Translations [edit]
during the same time that
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although
until — see until
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb [edit]
while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)
- (transitive) To pass (time) idly.
- Longfellow
- The lovely lady whiled the hours away.
- Longfellow
