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Origin and history of while

while(n.)

"span of time," especially "short space of time during which something is to happen or be done or certain conditions prevail;" Old English hwile, accusative of hwil "a space of time," from Proto-Germanic *hwilo, which is reconstructed to be from PIE *kwi-lo-, suffixed form of root *kweie- "to rest, be quiet." The notion of "period of rest" became in Germanic "period of time."

Now largely superseded by time (n.) but preserved in formulaic constructions (such as all the while). The sense of "time spent in doing something, expenditure of time" is in worthwhile and phrases such as worth (one's) while.

As a conjunction, "at the same time that; as long as" (late Old English), it represents Old English þa hwile þe, literally "the while that."

The form whiles (with adverbial genitive) is recorded from early 13c.; whilst is from late 14c., with unetymological ending as in amongst, amidst. Service while-you-wait is attested from 1911. Wycliffe (1384) translates Latin vicissitudo with whileness.

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon hwil, Old Frisian hwile, Old High German hwila, German Weile, Gothic hveila "space of time, while"), originally "rest" (compare Old Norse hvila "bed," hvild "rest."

while(v.)

"to cause (time) to pass (without dullness)," 1630s, earlier "to occupy or engage (someone or something) for a period of time," c. 1600. This is considered to be a formation from while (n.) rather than from Middle English hwulen "to have leisure," which is from a Germanic verb form of while (n.) (compare German weilen "to stay, linger").

An association with phrases such as Shakespearean beguile the day, Latin diem decipere, French tromper le temps "has led to the substitution of WILE v by some modern writers" [OED, 1989]; compare see wile (v.).

also from 1630s

Entries linking to while

amidst(prep.)

a variant of amid (q.v.) with adverbial genitive -s and unetymological -t. Amidde became amyddes (13c.) and acquired the -t from mid-15c., probably by association with superlatives in -st; the pattern also yielded amongst, against, betwixt, whilst, also archaic alongst (13c.-17c.).

There is a tendency to use amidst more distributively than amid, e.g. of things scattered about, or a thing moving, in the midst of others. [OED]

time(n.)

Old English tima "temporal duration, limited space of time," from Proto-Germanic *tima- "time" (source also of Old Norse timi "time, proper time," Swedish timme "an hour"), reconstructed to be from PIE *di-mon-, suffixed form of root *da- "to divide" (compare tide).

The abstract sense of "time as an indefinite continuous duration" is recorded from late 14c. Personified as an aged bald man (but with a forelock) carrying a scythe and an hour-glass.

In English, a single word encompasses time as "extent" and "point" (French temps/fois, German zeit/mal) as well as "hour" (as in what time is it?; compare French heure, German Uhr).

It is attested from mid-14c. as "one of a number of repeated instances" (how many times?). Extended senses such as "occasion," "the right time," "leisure," or times (v.) "multiplied by" developed in Old and Middle English, probably as a natural outgrowth of such phrases as "He commends her a hundred times to God" (Old French La comande a Deu cent foiz).

to have a good time ( = a time of enjoyment) was common in Eng. from c 1520 to c 1688; it was app. retained in America, whence readopted in Britain in 19th c. [OED, 1989]

Time of day was a popular 17c. salutation ("Good time of day vnto your Royall Grace," "Richard III," I.iii.18), hence give (one) the time of day "greet socially" (1590s; earlier give good day, mid-14c.). It is preserved in negation, as what is withheld or denied in disdain or as a snub.

As "a period considered with reference to prevailing conditions," late 15c. [Men say comynly that after that the tyme goth, so must folke go]. Also in Hamlet's "The time is out of joint," etc. The times "the current age" is attested by 1590s. Times as the name of a newspaper dates from 1788. To be behind the times "old-fashioned" is from 1831; to be ahead of (one's) time is by 1837.

Time warp is attested by 1954; time-traveling in the science fiction sense is by 1895 in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine."

Time after time "repeatedly" is by 1630s; time and again "repeatedly" is by 1864. From time to time "at intervals" is late 14c.

As the signal for the end of service in a public house, 1912, hence "closing time" in a general sense. The meaning "duration of a sentence of imprisonment is by 1837; to do time "serve a prison sentence" is by 1865.

To be in time "not too late" is by late 15c. Adverbial on time "punctually" is by 1821. To be on time "punctual" (adj.) is by 1854 in railroading. To have no time for "lack respect or admiration for" is by 1911.

About time, ironically for "long past due time," is recorded from 1920. Next time "next occasion" is late 14c. Time off (n.) "a break from one's occupation" is by 1930.