while

      English

      Etymology

      From Old English hwīl, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō. Cognate with Low German wil.

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      while (plural whiles)

      1. A certain duration of time, a period of time.
        He lectured for quite a long while.

      Translations

      certain duration of time, a period of time

      Conjunction

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      Wikipedia

      while

      1. During the same time that.
        • 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.
        • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36: 
          Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
        He was sleeping while I was singing.
      2. Although.
        This case, while interesting, is a bit frustrating.
      3. (Northern England, Scotland) Until.
        • Beaumont and Flanders
          I may be conveyed into your chamber; I'll lie under your bed while midnight.
        I'll wait while you've finished painting.

      Translations

      during the same time that
      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

      Verb

      while (third-person singular simple present whiles, present participle whiling, simple past and past participle whiled)

      1. (transitive) To pass (time) idly.
        • Longfellow
          The lovely lady whiled the hours away.
      2. To loiter.
        (Can we find and add a quotation of Spectator to this entry?)

      Derived terms

      Related terms

      Translations

      to pass time idly

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      Last modified on 19 June 2013, at 10:35