sometimeadv.adj.

Brit.

/ˈsʌmtʌɪm/, U.S.

/ˈsəmˌtaɪm/

Forms: Middle English–1500s sometyme, 1500s– sometime, Middle English–1500s somtyme, Middle English, 1500s Scottish somtym, Middle English, 1600s somtime; Middle English–1500s sumtyme (1500s summ-), Middle English -time, Middle English -tym; Middle English sumetime, Middle English sumetyme.

Etymology: < some adj.¹ + time n., int., and conj. Down to the 16th cent. written either as one word or as two; even in later use the distinction between sometime and some time is not always clear (compare some pron. 4c).

a. At one time or another, with the possibility of recurrence or repetition; now and then; occasionally; = sometimes adv. 1.Common in the 16th and 17th centuries; now rare or Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally

whiloma900

whilea1000

stoundmealc1000

stundumOE

otherwhileOE

umquhile1154

with and withc1175

by stoundsa1225

otherwhilesc1225

umbestound?c1225

umbewhilec1230

then and thenc1275

sometime…sometime1297

umstounda1300

by while13..

over while13..

sometime1340

umbe throwea1350

at timesa1382

now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393

umbwhile1393

eftsoona1398

sometimea1400

by sithesc1400

umbestoundsc1400

from time to (formerly unto) time1423

now and (also or) then1445

ever now and nowa1470

when and whenc1470

occasionallya1475

in timesa1500

whiles?a1500

whilomsa1500

sometimes1526

somewhiles1528

at whiles1540

ever now and then1542

a-whiles1546

somewhiles…, somewhiles1547

at sometimes1548

now and thenc1550

ever and anon1558

by occasions1562

on (also upon) occasion1562

as soon…as soon1581

every now and then (also again)1642

by a time1721

once and a while1765

ever and again1788

periodically1825

in spots1851

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 5880 Þarfor maysters som tyme uses þe wand Þat has childer to lere.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 13185 Ȝet fallis sum-time in fraunce wodemen atte saint Iones tide atte þe kirke bote to bide.

1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 81 But som-tyme þis Reubarb is venomous.

c1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 44 An hid defaut is sumtyme in nature.

1540 R. Jonas tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. f. xxiii^v Lykewise somtyme it commeth to passe that the syde of the chylde commeth forwarde.

1592 T. Tymme Plaine Discouerie Ten Eng. Lepers M j They..grow verie impacient, and some time dispaire of release.

1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. M3 ^v My hart, is sometime heauy, when I smile.

1679 T. Puller Moderation Church of Eng. (1843) 227 But sometime fear is the beginning of wisdom.

1700 S. L. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. E.-Indies Ep. Ded. sig. A 2 I am apt to think, a Dedication sometime to be none of the least [troublesome].

1809 S. Smith Serm. I. 286 The very name used to denote it, however unjustly it may be, sometime, applied.

†b. sometime…sometime, used to introduce antithetical words, clauses, etc. Also with sometimes in the first or second place. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally

whiloma900

whilea1000

stoundmealc1000

stundumOE

otherwhileOE

umquhile1154

with and withc1175

by stoundsa1225

otherwhilesc1225

umbestound?c1225

umbewhilec1230

then and thenc1275

sometime…sometime1297

umstounda1300

by while13..

over while13..

sometime1340

umbe throwea1350

at timesa1382

now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393

umbwhile1393

eftsoona1398

sometimea1400

by sithesc1400

umbestoundsc1400

from time to (formerly unto) time1423

now and (also or) then1445

ever now and nowa1470

when and whenc1470

occasionallya1475

in timesa1500

whiles?a1500

whilomsa1500

sometimes1526

somewhiles1528

at whiles1540

ever now and then1542

a-whiles1546

somewhiles…, somewhiles1547

at sometimes1548

now and thenc1550

ever and anon1558

by occasions1562

on (also upon) occasion1562

as soon…as soon1581

every now and then (also again)1642

by a time1721

once and a while1765

ever and again1788

periodically1825

in spots1851

(a)

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3438 Þus were..þe saxons Some tyme aboue & some (tyme) bineþe.

1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 28 Somtime nay, somtime yee, Somtime he cam, somtime noght.

1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert 102 He be-gan to pray, sumtyme loud, sumtyme soft, sumtyme saying, sumtyme singing.

?1537 R. Benese Bk. Measurynge Lande sig. Aj Somtyme the sellers..somtyme y^e byers..be greatly deceyued by the meters thereof.

1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. iii. 10 Going in such sort, as sometime he kept the Sea, and sometime droue towards the lande.

1660 tr. H. Blum Bk. Five Collumnes Archit. (new ed.) A j Gutta, are drops sometime round, sometime in Triangle fashion.

1700 J. Wallis in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 316 Dr. Keil sometime at Oxford and sometime at Cambridge alternately, hath..gone through a course of Anatomy.

(b)1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. B^v Sometime these madcaps be at a fray: sometimes at a feast.1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. ii. v. iii. 226 This humor..is sometime in the substance of the Braine, sometimes contained in the Membranes.., sometimes in the passages of the Ventricles.(c)1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iii. 128 Sometimes fashioning them like Pharaoes souldiours.., sometime like god Bels priests.., sometime like the shauen Hercules. 1674 Govt. Tongue v. §2. 120 Somtimes a man invents a perfect falsity of another; somtime he that do's not invent it, yet reports it.1681 R. L'Estrange tr. Cicero Offices (ed. 2) 129 For sometimes Bodily Goods fall in Competition with the Goods of Fortune: sometime Outward Goods with Those of the Body: and sometime again [etc.].

c. With different correlatives.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally

whiloma900

whilea1000

stoundmealc1000

stundumOE

otherwhileOE

umquhile1154

with and withc1175

by stoundsa1225

otherwhilesc1225

umbestound?c1225

umbewhilec1230

then and thenc1275

sometime…sometime1297

umstounda1300

by while13..

over while13..

sometime1340

umbe throwea1350

at timesa1382

now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393

umbwhile1393

eftsoona1398

sometimea1400

by sithesc1400

umbestoundsc1400

from time to (formerly unto) time1423

now and (also or) then1445

ever now and nowa1470

when and whenc1470

occasionallya1475

in timesa1500

whiles?a1500

whilomsa1500

sometimes1526

somewhiles1528

at whiles1540

ever now and then1542

a-whiles1546

somewhiles…, somewhiles1547

at sometimes1548

now and thenc1550

ever and anon1558

by occasions1562

on (also upon) occasion1562

as soon…as soon1581

every now and then (also again)1642

by a time1721

once and a while1765

ever and again1788

periodically1825

in spots1851

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 7433 Oþerwhile wiþ harpe sumtyme with song.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. a*iii Somtyme with swete mylke of deuocion, or outher whyles among with..swetnesse of grace.

1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance Pref. sig. av^v Sometyme aboundaunt, otherwhiles shorte and compendiouse.

1586 W. Webbe Disc. Eng. Poetrie Ep. Ded. sig. A.ii^v Alexander..leaned sometime too hard, otherwhyle too soft, as neuer hauing beene apprentice to the Arte.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) ii. v. 9 Sometime, the Flood preuailes; and than the Winde.

1651 T. Gataker in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 529 He forbeare not frequently to preach,..sometime in his own Cathedrall Church, and at other times in the Townes and Villages abroad.

1720 in Public Rec. Colony of Connecticut (1872) VI. 184 A certain man, who was sometime taken for Nathaniel Wilson, other~while for John Clements.

d. Passing into adjective. Frequently in a sometime thing: something which is occasional or transient.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > rare or occasional thing

strawberry preaching1548

hen's teeth1700

blue moon1821

gold dust1840

a sometime thing1935

the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > swift movement of time > [noun] > transience > transient thing or being

shadowa1272

breathc1275

cloudc1384

cherry-fair1393

transitorya1500

fume1531

forwhilea1557

flitter1623

ephemeran1643

daysman1658

transient1660

fugitive1683

transiency1728

ephemera1751

ephemeron1771

perishable1822

toadstool1823

evanescence1830

a sometime thing1935

1935 G. Gershwin (title of song) A woman is a sometime thing.

1959 Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Nov. p. xxxi/1 Going to the movies still entailed leaving home and paying money, so that..the movies were a ‘sometime thing’ and a reward.

1964 ‘E. McBain’ Ax vi. 115 The game..ain't regular, like you said it was. It's a sometime thing, whenever the urge strikes.

1967 Observer 19 Nov. 21/2 Money is a sometime thing for Simon Dee, here today and just possibly gone tomorrow.

1969 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 68 214 Poetic propriety is a sometime thing.

1980 Newsweek 17 Nov. 12/2 Political parties are weaker, the Federal bureaucracy has grown unwieldy and party discipline in Congress is a sometime thing.

†a. At a certain time, on a particular occasion, in the past; once. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] > once or at some former time

yetOE

oncec1175

somewhilec1200

sometime1297

once upon a timec1380

one while1470

sometimes1563

sometimes1577

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8958 Some time as þis gode mold in to halle com.

1375 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1878) 130/2 Y trowe wel Þow desyre to ete sum del Of þe frut of paradys Þat þow of ete som tyme.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope iv This fable of an asse whiche somtyme fond the skynne of a lyon.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 195 Well sholdiste thou remenber the þat Sum tym the Quen of Inde the send fair yeftis.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bii As it was som tyme shewed to Noe in the tyme of the vniuersall flode.

1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) iii. 147 b Like as the Crauish sometime did. Who [etc.].

1620 Hist. Frier Rush sig. A2 There was sometime beyond the Sea edified and founded a certaine house.

1650 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest iii. vi. 375 Let the power speak, which sometime said, Lazarus arise.

1661 J. Ussher Power of Princes (1683) i. 50 The first Christian Emperour Constantine used this speech sometime unto his Bishops.

†b. At one time; in former times, formerly. Obsolete.The quotations under (b) illustrate the usage with the substantive verb.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

(a)

c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 6905 Whylom [v.r. som tyme] Bretons landes wonnen;..Now ar þey nought so mykel of myght.

14.. Guy Warw. 4655 Some tyme þou were of grete honowre.

c1460 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (1885) 131 The kyng off Ffraunce myght not sumtyme dyspende off his demaynes..so mich as myght tho the kynge off England.

1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. cccliii Somtyme er it were white, it myght haue be nat white.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. v. 3 These are they, whom we somtyme had in derision, & iested vpon.

1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 172 Farley..belonged somtime to the Monkes of Christes Churche in Canterbury.

1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. ii. 66 It was sometime gouerned by a certaine tyrant.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1678 (1955) IV. 142 A worthy..gent, with whom my sonn, was sometime bred up in Arundel house.

1798 J. H. Tooke Επεα Πτεροεντα (ed. 2) I. ix. 432 The whole verb Dure was some time used commonly in our language.

(b)a1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) viii. 98 Also fro Bethanye to Jerico, was somtyme a litylle Cytee.c1440 Generydes 2 Of Inde Somtyme ther was a nobyll kyng.1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope viii Somtyme was a kynge whiche hadde a fabulatour.1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xx. 18 The comon sayenge was somtyme: Who so wyll axe, let him axe at Abel.1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 250 Where was somtime an auncient Church, erected by the Romanes.

†c. In non-restrictive relative clauses introduced by that.

ΚΠ

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 129 Seleucus, þat was somtyme plegge and prisoner at Rome.

1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 269 Be thyn excytyng craftys lefte þat som tyme were wele knowe.

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1729 Our Cite for sothe, þat sum tyme was here, [þai] Brent.

d. In similar use with omission or ellipse of relative and verb. Now archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xii. 67 Noȝtwithstondinde þe statut sume time at Westmunestre..imad.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 13563 Þen ansquared he sum time blinde.

1423 Cal. Letter-bk. ‘ I ’ (1909) 288 Sir Edward, sumtyme Kyng of Ynglond.

1463 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 16 To Raffe Otle sumtyme my man.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 210^v Asia sometyme the..welthiest countree of the worlde, had..been spoyled by Alexander.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxviii. viii. 987 To have mercie and pitie of their nation sometime linked in amitie unto them.

1633 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 103 The visage of our Nazarites, sometime whiter than snow, is now become blacker than a coal.

1771 E. Ledwich Antiquitates Sarisburienses 109 His body lies..under a large marble stone, sometime inlaid with brass.

1794 Bloomfield Rep. 14 A Negro Woman, sometime the Property of H., became free.

1852 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 9 John Jewel, sometime Bishop of Salisbury.

†e. With of or genitive, denoting former ownership or proprietary rights. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > owning > [adverb] > formerly owning

sometime1423

sometimes1612

1423 Coventry Leet Bk. 52 A house with gardyne sumtyme off John Askemare.

1486 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 1 The tenement sumtyme Rauf a Beryes.

1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 48 The church sumtyme the Gray freeres.

f. Preceded by a pronoun or article. Passing into adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos vi. 27 Alle the grete tresours..of hir sayd somtyme husbonde sichee.

c1585 A. Montgomerie Sonn. iv. 9 Hou..that som tym peirles place..in furious flammis did burne.

1621 R. Montagu Diatribæ Hist. Tithes 144 Agreeing with Tremellius, his sometime Colleague.

1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 254 I wonder now of my sometime boldness to chide and quarrel Christ.

1756 Connoisseur No. 118. ⁋7 The sometime Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College.

1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village I. 284 Our sometime constable, the tipsiest..of men, is dead.

1889 A. C. Swinburne Study of Jonson 103 A sometime student of the secular [poet].

†3. at or in sometime, = 2b. Obsolete.Cf. examples with some time under some adj.¹ 2b (a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 765 Fone men may now fourty yhere pas, And foner fifty als in somtym was.

1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Aliquoties, at sometime.

1579 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. N. Sander in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 541 At somtime, no citie in Italie was so notable as Rome.

a. At some future time; on a future occasion. Also in sometime or other.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day

yeteOE

hereafter1154

hereafterwardc1386

sometimec1386

oncea1393

whiloma1400

rather or latera1450

one of these daysa1470

one day1477

umquhile1489

in timea1500

with time?1531

sooner or later1577

odd shortly1681

some summer's day1697

first or last1700

some of these (‥) days1831

someday1898

down the road (also track)1924

c1386 G. Chaucer Man of Law's T. 12 Parfay, seistow, somtyme he rekene shal.

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 385 For possible is,..That by som caas, syn Fortune is chaungeable Thow maist to thy desir som tyme atteyne.

a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 143 Suppois the servand be lang unquit, The lord sumtyme rewaird will it.

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 39 I must nedes somtyme tel you of myne owne experience.

1651 T. Gataker in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 459 His Lectures..are said to remaine yet under hope of seeing sometime further light.

1741 G. Berkeley Let. in Wks. (1871) IV. 268 You may sometime or other come to Bath.

1848 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 106 Thou too and all the stars..Shall sometime range in bliss the spirit-pasturing skies.

1879 W. D. Howells Lady of Aroostook (1883) I. 156 ‘Will you tell me?’ ‘Yes, sometime.’

b. In attributive use, with preceding pronoun or article.

ΚΠ

a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 157 The meanes which he had appointed for their sometime happinesse to come.

1787 A. Seward Let. 20 Dec. (1811) I. 386 Materials whose sometime publication I meditate.

1805 A. Seward Lett. (1811) VI. 241 The sometime resurrection of the body.

a. At some indefinite or indeterminate point of time; at some time or other.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at some time

somewhilea1240

somewhilec1250

somewhen1297

sometime1600

first and last1719

one of these fine days1762

some fine day1762

somewhere along the line1962

1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. i. 253 There sleepes Tytania, sometime of the night.

1797 Encycl. Brit. I. 321/1 Some time in May, the rows must be evened.]

1818 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 33 432 This letter was sent off sometime in October.

1832 R. Southey Hist. Peninsular War III. 279 It was sometime in the 11th century.

1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 86 Where indeed The roof so lowly but that beam of Heaven Dawn'd sometime thro' the doorway?

1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 171 Grant made the light, sometime after nightfall.

†b. Just now; recently. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adverb]

neweneOE

newlyeOE

unyoreeOE

noweOE

newOE

lateOE

yesterdaya1300

freshlya1387

of newa1393

anewa1425

newlingsa1425

latewardc1434

the other dayc1450

lately?c1475

erst1480

latewards1484

sith late1484

alatea1500

recently1509

even now1511

late-whiles1561

late ygo1579

formerly1590

just now1591

lastly1592

just1605

low1610

this moment1696

latewardly1721

shortsyne1768

sometime1779

latterly1821

1779 R. B. Sheridan St. Patrick's Day ii. ii I was sometime taken with a sudden giddiness, and Humphrey..ran to my assistance.

a. With since, = some time ago. rare.The use of the compound in place of the two separate words (some time) is evidently due to association with sense 5.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1652 (1955) III. 62 The Letter which sometime since, I sent Deane Cousins proselyted sonn.

1792 C. Smith Desmond III. 244 The subject was sometime since exhausted between us.

1897 Daily News 13 Sept. 7/1 A sometime since completed [railway] line.

b. For some time. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > duration > [adverb] > for a long time

longeOE

longOE

longlyOE

longsomelyOE

yorec1275

lastingly1372

longsa1450

for longa1530

in length1566

with the longest1636

stayingly1648

eternally1664

sometime1801

chronically1854

forever1861

somewhile1864

for the duration1916

long-term1947

secularly1971

1801 Lusignan IV. 177 She answered that she was very well, and had slept better than she had done sometime.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	sometime
释义	sometimeadv.adj. Brit. /ˈsʌmtʌɪm/, U.S. /ˈsəmˌtaɪm/ Forms: Middle English–1500s sometyme, 1500s– sometime, Middle English–1500s somtyme, Middle English, 1500s Scottish somtym, Middle English, 1600s somtime; Middle English–1500s sumtyme (1500s summ-), Middle English -time, Middle English -tym; Middle English sumetime, Middle English sumetyme. Etymology: < some adj.¹ + time n., int., and conj. Down to the 16th cent. written either as one word or as two; even in later use the distinction between sometime and some time is not always clear (compare some pron. 4c). 1. a. At one time or another, with the possibility of recurrence or repetition; now and then; occasionally; = sometimes adv. 1.Common in the 16th and 17th centuries; now rare or Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally whiloma900 whilea1000 stoundmealc1000 stundumOE otherwhileOE umquhile1154 with and withc1175 by stoundsa1225 otherwhilesc1225 umbestound?c1225 umbewhilec1230 then and thenc1275 sometime…sometime1297 umstounda1300 by while13.. over while13.. sometime1340 umbe throwea1350 at timesa1382 now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393 umbwhile1393 eftsoona1398 sometimea1400 by sithesc1400 umbestoundsc1400 from time to (formerly unto) time1423 now and (also or) then1445 ever now and nowa1470 when and whenc1470 occasionallya1475 in timesa1500 whiles?a1500 whilomsa1500 sometimes1526 somewhiles1528 at whiles1540 ever now and then1542 a-whiles1546 somewhiles…, somewhiles1547 at sometimes1548 now and thenc1550 ever and anon1558 by occasions1562 on (also upon) occasion1562 as soon…as soon1581 every now and then (also again)1642 by a time1721 once and a while1765 ever and again1788 periodically1825 in spots1851 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 5880 Þarfor maysters som tyme uses þe wand Þat has childer to lere. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 13185 Ȝet fallis sum-time in fraunce wodemen atte saint Iones tide atte þe kirke bote to bide. 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 81 But som-tyme þis Reubarb is venomous. c1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 44 An hid defaut is sumtyme in nature. 1540 R. Jonas tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. f. xxiii^v Lykewise somtyme it commeth to passe that the syde of the chylde commeth forwarde. 1592 T. Tymme Plaine Discouerie Ten Eng. Lepers M j They..grow verie impacient, and some time dispaire of release. 1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. M3 ^v My hart, is sometime heauy, when I smile. 1679 T. Puller Moderation Church of Eng. (1843) 227 But sometime fear is the beginning of wisdom. 1700 S. L. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. E.-Indies Ep. Ded. sig. A 2 I am apt to think, a Dedication sometime to be none of the least [troublesome]. 1809 S. Smith Serm. I. 286 The very name used to denote it, however unjustly it may be, sometime, applied. †b. sometime…sometime, used to introduce antithetical words, clauses, etc. Also with sometimes in the first or second place. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally whiloma900 whilea1000 stoundmealc1000 stundumOE otherwhileOE umquhile1154 with and withc1175 by stoundsa1225 otherwhilesc1225 umbestound?c1225 umbewhilec1230 then and thenc1275 sometime…sometime1297 umstounda1300 by while13.. over while13.. sometime1340 umbe throwea1350 at timesa1382 now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393 umbwhile1393 eftsoona1398 sometimea1400 by sithesc1400 umbestoundsc1400 from time to (formerly unto) time1423 now and (also or) then1445 ever now and nowa1470 when and whenc1470 occasionallya1475 in timesa1500 whiles?a1500 whilomsa1500 sometimes1526 somewhiles1528 at whiles1540 ever now and then1542 a-whiles1546 somewhiles…, somewhiles1547 at sometimes1548 now and thenc1550 ever and anon1558 by occasions1562 on (also upon) occasion1562 as soon…as soon1581 every now and then (also again)1642 by a time1721 once and a while1765 ever and again1788 periodically1825 in spots1851 (a) 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3438 Þus were..þe saxons Some tyme aboue & some (tyme) bineþe. 1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 28 Somtime nay, somtime yee, Somtime he cam, somtime noght. 1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert 102 He be-gan to pray, sumtyme loud, sumtyme soft, sumtyme saying, sumtyme singing. ?1537 R. Benese Bk. Measurynge Lande sig. Aj Somtyme the sellers..somtyme y^e byers..be greatly deceyued by the meters thereof. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. iii. 10 Going in such sort, as sometime he kept the Sea, and sometime droue towards the lande. 1660 tr. H. Blum Bk. Five Collumnes Archit. (new ed.) A j Gutta, are drops sometime round, sometime in Triangle fashion. 1700 J. Wallis in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 316 Dr. Keil sometime at Oxford and sometime at Cambridge alternately, hath..gone through a course of Anatomy. (b)1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. B^v Sometime these madcaps be at a fray: sometimes at a feast.1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. ii. v. iii. 226 This humor..is sometime in the substance of the Braine, sometimes contained in the Membranes.., sometimes in the passages of the Ventricles.(c)1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iii. 128 Sometimes fashioning them like Pharaoes souldiours.., sometime like god Bels priests.., sometime like the shauen Hercules. View more context for this quotation1674 Govt. Tongue v. §2. 120 Somtimes a man invents a perfect falsity of another; somtime he that do's not invent it, yet reports it.1681 R. L'Estrange tr. Cicero Offices (ed. 2) 129 For sometimes Bodily Goods fall in Competition with the Goods of Fortune: sometime Outward Goods with Those of the Body: and sometime again [etc.]. c. With different correlatives. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > sometimes or occasionally whiloma900 whilea1000 stoundmealc1000 stundumOE otherwhileOE umquhile1154 with and withc1175 by stoundsa1225 otherwhilesc1225 umbestound?c1225 umbewhilec1230 then and thenc1275 sometime…sometime1297 umstounda1300 by while13.. over while13.. sometime1340 umbe throwea1350 at timesa1382 now and again (also anon, eft, now)a1393 umbwhile1393 eftsoona1398 sometimea1400 by sithesc1400 umbestoundsc1400 from time to (formerly unto) time1423 now and (also or) then1445 ever now and nowa1470 when and whenc1470 occasionallya1475 in timesa1500 whiles?a1500 whilomsa1500 sometimes1526 somewhiles1528 at whiles1540 ever now and then1542 a-whiles1546 somewhiles…, somewhiles1547 at sometimes1548 now and thenc1550 ever and anon1558 by occasions1562 on (also upon) occasion1562 as soon…as soon1581 every now and then (also again)1642 by a time1721 once and a while1765 ever and again1788 periodically1825 in spots1851 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 7433 Oþerwhile wiþ harpe sumtyme with song. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. aiii Somtyme with swete mylke of deuocion, or outher whyles among with..swetnesse of grace. 1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance* Pref. sig. av^v Sometyme aboundaunt, otherwhiles shorte and compendiouse. 1586 W. Webbe Disc. Eng. Poetrie Ep. Ded. sig. A.ii^v Alexander..leaned sometime too hard, otherwhyle too soft, as neuer hauing beene apprentice to the Arte. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) ii. v. 9 Sometime, the Flood preuailes; and than the Winde. View more context for this quotation 1651 T. Gataker in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 529 He forbeare not frequently to preach,..sometime in his own Cathedrall Church, and at other times in the Townes and Villages abroad. 1720 in Public Rec. Colony of Connecticut (1872) VI. 184 A certain man, who was sometime taken for Nathaniel Wilson, other~while for John Clements. d. Passing into adjective. Frequently in a sometime thing: something which is occasional or transient. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > rare or occasional thing strawberry preaching1548 hen's teeth1700 blue moon1821 gold dust1840 a sometime thing1935 the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > swift movement of time > [noun] > transience > transient thing or being shadowa1272 breathc1275 cloudc1384 cherry-fair1393 transitorya1500 fume1531 forwhilea1557 flitter1623 ephemeran1643 daysman1658 transient1660 fugitive1683 transiency1728 ephemera1751 ephemeron1771 perishable1822 toadstool1823 evanescence1830 a sometime thing1935 1935 G. Gershwin (title of song) A woman is a sometime thing. 1959 Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Nov. p. xxxi/1 Going to the movies still entailed leaving home and paying money, so that..the movies were a ‘sometime thing’ and a reward. 1964 ‘E. McBain’ Ax vi. 115 The game..ain't regular, like you said it was. It's a sometime thing, whenever the urge strikes. 1967 Observer 19 Nov. 21/2 Money is a sometime thing for Simon Dee, here today and just possibly gone tomorrow. 1969 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 68 214 Poetic propriety is a sometime thing. 1980 Newsweek 17 Nov. 12/2 Political parties are weaker, the Federal bureaucracy has grown unwieldy and party discipline in Congress is a sometime thing. 2. †a. At a certain time, on a particular occasion, in the past; once. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] > once or at some former time yetOE oncec1175 somewhilec1200 sometime1297 once upon a timec1380 one while1470 sometimes1563 sometimes1577 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8958 Some time as þis gode mold in to halle com. 1375 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1878) 130/2 Y trowe wel Þow desyre to ete sum del Of þe frut of paradys Þat þow of ete som tyme. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope iv This fable of an asse whiche somtyme fond the skynne of a lyon. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 195 Well sholdiste thou remenber the þat Sum tym the Quen of Inde the send fair yeftis. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bii As it was som tyme shewed to Noe in the tyme of the vniuersall flode. 1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) iii. 147 b Like as the Crauish sometime did. Who [etc.]. 1620 Hist. Frier Rush sig. A2 There was sometime beyond the Sea edified and founded a certaine house. 1650 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest iii. vi. 375 Let the power speak, which sometime said, Lazarus arise. 1661 J. Ussher Power of Princes (1683) i. 50 The first Christian Emperour Constantine used this speech sometime unto his Bishops. †b. At one time; in former times, formerly. Obsolete.The quotations under (b) illustrate the usage with the substantive verb. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 (a) c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 6905 Whylom [v.r. som tyme] Bretons landes wonnen;..Now ar þey nought so mykel of myght. 14.. Guy Warw. 4655 Some tyme þou were of grete honowre. c1460 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (1885) 131 The kyng off Ffraunce myght not sumtyme dyspende off his demaynes..so mich as myght tho the kynge off England. 1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. cccliii Somtyme er it were white, it myght haue be nat white. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. v. 3 These are they, whom we somtyme had in derision, & iested vpon. 1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 172 Farley..belonged somtime to the Monkes of Christes Churche in Canterbury. 1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. ii. 66 It was sometime gouerned by a certaine tyrant. a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1678 (1955) IV. 142 A worthy..gent, with whom my sonn, was sometime bred up in Arundel house. 1798 J. H. Tooke Επεα Πτεροεντα (ed. 2) I. ix. 432 The whole verb Dure was some time used commonly in our language. (b)a1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) viii. 98 Also fro Bethanye to Jerico, was somtyme a litylle Cytee.c1440 Generydes 2 Of Inde Somtyme ther was a nobyll kyng.1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope viii Somtyme was a kynge whiche hadde a fabulatour.1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xx. 18 The comon sayenge was somtyme: Who so wyll axe, let him axe at Abel.1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 250 Where was somtime an auncient Church, erected by the Romanes. †c. In non-restrictive relative clauses introduced by that. ΚΠ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 129 Seleucus, þat was somtyme plegge and prisoner at Rome. 1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 269 Be thyn excytyng craftys lefte þat som tyme were wele knowe. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1729 Our Cite for sothe, þat sum tyme was here, [þai] Brent. d. In similar use with omission or ellipse of relative and verb. Now archaic. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xii. 67 Noȝtwithstondinde þe statut sume time at Westmunestre..imad. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 13563 Þen ansquared he sum time blinde. 1423 Cal. Letter-bk. ‘ I ’ (1909) 288 Sir Edward, sumtyme Kyng of Ynglond. 1463 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 16 To Raffe Otle sumtyme my man. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 210^v Asia sometyme the..welthiest countree of the worlde, had..been spoyled by Alexander. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxviii. viii. 987 To have mercie and pitie of their nation sometime linked in amitie unto them. 1633 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 103 The visage of our Nazarites, sometime whiter than snow, is now become blacker than a coal. 1771 E. Ledwich Antiquitates Sarisburienses 109 His body lies..under a large marble stone, sometime inlaid with brass. 1794 Bloomfield Rep. 14 A Negro Woman, sometime the Property of H., became free. 1852 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 9 John Jewel, sometime Bishop of Salisbury. †e. With of or genitive, denoting former ownership or proprietary rights. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > owning > [adverb] > formerly owning sometime1423 sometimes1612 1423 Coventry Leet Bk. 52 A house with gardyne sumtyme off John Askemare. 1486 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 1 The tenement sumtyme Rauf a Beryes. 1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 48 The church sumtyme the Gray freeres. f. Preceded by a pronoun or article. Passing into adj. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos vi. 27 Alle the grete tresours..of hir sayd somtyme husbonde sichee. c1585 A. Montgomerie Sonn. iv. 9 Hou..that som tym peirles place..in furious flammis did burne. 1621 R. Montagu Diatribæ Hist. Tithes 144 Agreeing with Tremellius, his sometime Colleague. 1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 254 I wonder now of my sometime boldness to chide and quarrel Christ. 1756 Connoisseur No. 118. ⁋7 The sometime Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College. 1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village I. 284 Our sometime constable, the tipsiest..of men, is dead. 1889 A. C. Swinburne Study of Jonson 103 A sometime student of the secular [poet]. †3. at or in sometime, = 2b. Obsolete.Cf. examples with some time under some adj.¹ 2b (a). ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 765 Fone men may now fourty yhere pas, And foner fifty als in somtym was. 1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Aliquoties, at sometime. 1579 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. N. Sander in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 541 At somtime, no citie in Italie was so notable as Rome. 4. a. At some future time; on a future occasion. Also in sometime or other. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day yeteOE hereafter1154 hereafterwardc1386 sometimec1386 oncea1393 whiloma1400 rather or latera1450 one of these daysa1470 one day1477 umquhile1489 in timea1500 with time?1531 sooner or later1577 odd shortly1681 some summer's day1697 first or last1700 some of these (‥) days1831 someday1898 down the road (also track)1924 c1386 G. Chaucer Man of Law's T. 12 Parfay, seistow, somtyme he rekene shal. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 385 For possible is,..That by som caas, syn Fortune is chaungeable Thow maist to thy desir som tyme atteyne. a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 143 Suppois the servand be lang unquit, The lord sumtyme rewaird will it. 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 39 I must nedes somtyme tel you of myne owne experience. 1651 T. Gataker in T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 459 His Lectures..are said to remaine yet under hope of seeing sometime further light. 1741 G. Berkeley Let. in Wks. (1871) IV. 268 You may sometime or other come to Bath. 1848 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 106 Thou too and all the stars..Shall sometime range in bliss the spirit-pasturing skies. 1879 W. D. Howells Lady of Aroostook (1883) I. 156 ‘Will you tell me?’ ‘Yes, sometime.’ b. In attributive use, with preceding pronoun or article. ΚΠ a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 157 The meanes which he had appointed for their sometime happinesse to come. 1787 A. Seward Let. 20 Dec. (1811) I. 386 Materials whose sometime publication I meditate. 1805 A. Seward Lett. (1811) VI. 241 The sometime resurrection of the body. 5. a. At some indefinite or indeterminate point of time; at some time or other. ΘΚΠ the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at some time somewhilea1240 somewhilec1250 somewhen1297 sometime1600 first and last1719 one of these fine days1762 some fine day1762 somewhere along the line1962 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. i. 253 There sleepes Tytania, sometime of the night. View more context for this quotation 1797 Encycl. Brit. I. 321/1 Some time in May, the rows must be evened.] 1818 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 33 432 This letter was sent off sometime in October. 1832 R. Southey Hist. Peninsular War III. 279 It was sometime in the 11th century. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 86 Where indeed The roof so lowly but that beam of Heaven Dawn'd sometime thro' the doorway? 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 171 Grant made the light, sometime after nightfall. †b. Just now; recently. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adverb] neweneOE newlyeOE unyoreeOE noweOE newOE lateOE yesterdaya1300 freshlya1387 of newa1393 anewa1425 newlingsa1425 latewardc1434 the other dayc1450 lately?c1475 erst1480 latewards1484 sith late1484 alatea1500 recently1509 even now1511 late-whiles1561 late ygo1579 formerly1590 just now1591 lastly1592 just1605 low1610 this moment1696 latewardly1721 shortsyne1768 sometime1779 latterly1821 1779 R. B. Sheridan St. Patrick's Day ii. ii I was sometime taken with a sudden giddiness, and Humphrey..ran to my assistance. 6. a. With since, = some time ago. rare.The use of the compound in place of the two separate words (some time) is evidently due to association with sense 5. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1652 (1955) III. 62 The Letter which sometime since, I sent Deane Cousins proselyted sonn. 1792 C. Smith Desmond III. 244 The subject was sometime since exhausted between us. 1897 Daily News 13 Sept. 7/1 A sometime since completed [railway] line. b. For some time. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > time > duration > [adverb] > for a long time longeOE longOE longlyOE longsomelyOE yorec1275 lastingly1372 longsa1450 for longa1530 in length1566 with the longest1636 stayingly1648 eternally1664 sometime1801 chronically1854 forever1861 somewhile1864 for the duration1916 long-term1947 secularly1971 1801 Lusignan IV. 177 She answered that she was very well, and had slept better than she had done sometime. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adv.adj.1297
随便看	rule border rule box rule britannia rule change rule coat rule formation rule formulation rule in rule joint rule nisi rule number one rule of brain rule of coss rule of court rule of evidence rule of false position rule of falsehood rule of fellowship rule of law rule of position rule of proportion rule of reason rule of recognition rule of the house rule of the octave