Wile Definition
Alternative spelling of while, "to pass the time".
- while
- waste
- trifle away
- kill
- idle
- fiddle away
- Also used with away: dawdle
- to while away (time, etc.)
Other Word Forms of Wile
Noun
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Wile
Origin of Wile
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From Middle English wile, wyle, from Old English wÄ«l (“wile, trick") and wiÄ¡le (“divination"), from Proto-Germanic *wÄ«lÄ… (“craft, deceit") (from Proto-Indo-European *wei- (“to turn, bend")) and Proto-Germanic *wigulÄ…, *wihulÄ… (“prophecy") (from Proto-Indo-European *weik- (“to consecrate, hallow, make holy")). Cognate with Icelandic vél, væl (“artifice, craft, device, fraud, trick").
From Wiktionary
Middle English wil from Old North French from Old Norse vēl trick or of Low German origin V., sense 2, influenced by while
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Middle English wile, an occupational surname for a trapper or a nickname for a wily person.
From Wiktionary
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