Erstwhile
/ˈɜːrst.waɪl/noun
Former or previous; belonging to an earlier time.
Did you know?“Erstwhile” combines two Old English time-words, preserving a linguistic echo of how English speakers once marked the boundary between now and what came before.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ay- / *āi̯er-
“A root associated with an earlier time or day, ancestral to several Germanic words for “early” and “before.””
Old English
Old English
ǣr
“Before, earlier, soon; the ancestor of “ere” and “erst.””
Old English
Old English
hwīl
“A period of time or interval; the ancestor of “while.””
Middle English
Middle English
erstwhile
“Formerly or at a previous time; formed by combining “erst” with “while.””
Modern English
English
erstwhile
“Former, previous, or formerly existing.”