Meanings
- not comparableIn times past, at a prior time; in the past.
And loudly to her lovers called, to leap To arms for her sore sake, that yestertide In her delight delighted, and drank deep Of her lascivious wine-cups, […]
1889, Alfred Austin, The Human Tragedy1 more example
Fair cooling spray, oh, lovely sea! / How maiden coy thy changing mood; / To-night thou'rt sweet with smiles for me, / Scarce yestertide I vainly wooed / Thy fretful features for a smile, / Naught could for me one thought beguile.
1905, Dr. Frederick H. Williams, “Fair Cooling Spray, O Lovely Sea!”, in The Connecticut Magazine, volume 9, number 3, page frontispieceSynonyms: beforehand
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA time period previous to the present; the past.
adverbIn times past, at a prior time; in the past.
Origin
From yester- + tide (“time, season, period”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
yestertide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yestertide
“yestertide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yestertide. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yestertide,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yestertide.
Source: yestertide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.