ealle hwile

== Old English == === Etymology === Dates back at least to Proto-West Germanic *allā hwīlā. Cognate with Old High German alla wīla. One of many fossilized phrases that became idiomatic when the language developed a definite article. Compare ealne dæġ, ealle niht, and ealne weġ. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈæ͜ɑl.le ˈxwiː.le/, [ˈæ͜ɑɫ.ɫe ˈʍiː.le] === Adverb === ealle hwīle the whole time late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans ==== Usage notes ==== For the conjunctive phrase "the whole time that...", hwīl is used with a definite article: Ealle þā hwīle þe þæt līċ biþ inne, þǣr sċeal bēon ġedrinc and plega, oþ þone dæġ þe hīe hine forbærnaþ ("The whole time the body is inside, there's drinking and partying, until the day comes to cremate him") (The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan). ==== Descendants ==== Middle English: al þe while English: all the while ==== See also ==== þā hwīle þe