See Also: whiles(dictionary)

whiles (iou)



whiles noun, conjunction, preposition, & adverb. arch. ME.
[from WHILE noun + -S3.]
A. noun.
With indef. article, def. article, demonstr. adjective, or adjective of quantity, used adverbially: = WHILE noun 2. ME-M17.
With def. article, used as conjunction: = WHILE noun 3. Now rare or obsolete. ME.
Sir W. Scott They feasted..The whiles a Northern harper..Chanted a rhime.
b. conjunction.
= WHILE conjunction 1. ME.
= WHILE conjunction 2. LME-E17.
= WHILE conjunction 3. M16-M17.
C. preposition. = WHILE preposition. LME-M16.
D. adverb.
= WHILE adverb 2. Scot. LME-L16.
At times, sometimes; esp. (introducing parallel phrs. or clauses) now ... then. Cf. WHILE adverb 1. Chiefly & now only Scot. L15.
R. L. Stevenson So we lay..whiles whispering, whiles lying still.