sometimes
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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
- At times; now and then; occasionally.
- (archaic) At some earlier time; formerly.
Related words
- sometime
- some
- time
- often
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ 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)
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin