sometimes

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsʌm.taɪmz/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from some and time with the adverbial ending -s,^[2][3][4] later taken as the plural ending.^[2] Etymonline treats it as sometime with the adverbial genitive -s.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

On some occasions: 14th century according to Merriam-Webster,^[5] late Middle English according to the Shorter Oxford,^[2] and the 1520s according to Etymonline.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The sense “now and then” is recorded from 1526.^[6] From the 1560s to the late 18th century sometimes could also mean “formerly, once”,^[6][7] and as an adjective, “former”, it is found from 1593.^[3]

Timeline

• 14th century – sometimes.^[5]
• 1526 – now and then.^[6]
• 1563–1798 – formerly.^[6]
• 1593 – adjective, former.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. At times; now and then; occasionally.
2. (archaic) At some earlier time; formerly.

Related words

• sometime
• some
• time
• often

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin