umwhile

U1M3W4H4I1L1E1

adjective

Erstwhile; late; former.

OriginMiddle English umwhile →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

adjectiveumwhile (not comparable)
  1. Scotlanddialectalnot comparableobsoleteErstwhile; late; former.

    which devolved on this unhappy woman by a settlement of her umwhile husband.

    1831, Sir Walter Scott, Waverly, or Six Years Since
adverbumwhile (not comparable)
  1. Scotlanddialectalnot comparableobsoleteFormerly; late; whilom.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishumwhile
  2. Englishumwhile

From Middle English umwhile, umwhyle, umbewhile, from the phrase umbe while (literally “at times, at some time”). Analyzable as um- + while. More at while.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

umwhile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umwhile

MLA

“umwhile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umwhile. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “umwhile,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umwhile.

Source: umwhile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.