Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb Some time ago; heretofore.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Former; recent.
  • Some time ago; a little while before.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb Archaic Some time ago; a little while before; heretofore.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb Some time ago; beforehand

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word erewhile.

Examples

  • No game in the garths such as erewhile was gotten.

    The Tale of Beowulf Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats Anonymous

  • O earth! and night erewhile my only day; now may I open my eyes in freedom, for

    Electra 2008

  • I at once became abject and a burden to those who erewhile wished to visit me; and when her father knew it, he took her from me and abjured me and drove me forth without ruth.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • O earth! and night erewhile my only day; now may I open my eyes in freedom, for

    Electra 2008

  • As they went, the knight fell a-talking to Birdalone, and that without any of the covert jeering which he had used erewhile; and he showed her places in the dale, as caverns under the burgs, and little eyots in the stream, and certain stones amongst the

    The Water of the Wondrous Isles 2007

  • Now all yeasaid this gladly; and the Green Knight said: It were not so ill done that we should see more of our sister here ere we depart, and hear more of her tale; for meseemeth she began it erewhile but half-way.

    The Water of the Wondrous Isles 2007

  • So on the following morning Colonel Chabert went with the erewhile attorney to

    Le Colonel Chabert 2007

  • So on the following morning Colonel Chabert went with the erewhile attorney to

    Le Colonel Chabert 2007

  • And when we departed, the old man followed us down to the strand, and lamented our departure, as he had done with our lords erewhile; only this time yet greater was his lamentation, and needs must we kiss him, each one of us, or never had he been done.

    The Water of the Wondrous Isles 2007

  • Said Habundia, after she had looked hard on Birdalone a while: Now there is this I find in thee, that though thou callest me wood-mother still, thou art not my daughter as thou wert erewhile, nor I thy mother; and I know not whether to be glad or sorry thereof, since thou art even as much my friend as ever thou wert.

    The Water of the Wondrous Isles 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.