erstwhile
adverb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L189993 on Wikidata ↗adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L336525 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɜː(ɹ)st.waɪl/ / /ˈɝst.waɪl/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree English erst English while English erstwhile From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.
- Former, previous.
““Scarcely had Alice reached her twentieth birthday, than she gave her erstwhile fiancée^([sic]) his formal congé.[…]””
“As an aftermath of the erstwhile competition between companies, 41 goods depots served the Liverpool and Birkenhead docks in 1923.”
- Respected, honourable.
“If you're for one of my erstwhile opponents, that's O.K. Just don't work too hard.”
adv
Etymology: Etymology tree English erst English while English erstwhile From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.
- Formerly; in the past.