Meanwhile
/ˈmiːnˌwaɪl/noun
In the intervening time; at the same time.
Did you know?Meanwhile is built from Old English mǣnan (“to mean, intend”) plus hwīl (“a while, a period of time”), showing how English often turned ordinary time words into compact expressions of duration.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mǣnan + hwīl
“to intend, signify + a period of time”
Middle English
ME
menwhile / meane while
“in the meantime; during that time”
15th–16th Century
English
meanwhile
“during the intervening time”
Modern English
English
meanwhile
“in the time between two events; at the same time”