> All the while, so to speak.

I'm wild about your answer, TEd!



Main Entry: 1while
Pronunciation: 'hwI(&)l, 'wI(&)l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwIl; akin to Old High German hwIla time, Latin quies rest, quiet
1 : a period of time especially when short and marked by the occurrence of an action or a condition : TIME <stay here for a while>
2 : the time and effort used (as in the performance of an action) : TROUBLE <worth your while>

Main Entry: 2while
Function: conjunction
1 a : during the time that <take a nap while I'm out> b : as long as <while there's life there's hope>
2 a : when on the other hand : WHEREAS <easy for an expert, while it is dangerous for a novice> b : in spite of the fact that : ALTHOUGH <while respected, he is not liked>
3 : similarly and at the same time that <while the book will be welcomed by scholars, it will make an immediate appeal to the general reader -- British Book News>

Main Entry: 3while
Function: preposition
dialect British : UNTIL

Main Entry: 4while
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): whiled; whil•ing
: to cause to pass especially without boredom or in a pleasant manner -- usually used with away <while away the time>


Y'all can blame this on Bill, who got me thinking about these forms of the word. He remarked on the contrast with my Brit usage of whilst, which I gather is not much used in the States.


edit:
from encarta:

[Old English hwîl “period of time.” Ultimately from an Indo-European word meaning “rest, period of rest,” which is also the ancestor of English tranquil and quiet.]