Meaning
1 senses(formal, literary, not comparable)Formerly; in the past.
More definitions
- at a previous time
Examples
4 sentencesThe erstwhile lovers chatted and caught up.
My erstwhile colleague kept me up-to-date with the company gossip.
Tom watched in horror as the erstwhile contents of his grocery bags cascaded down the flight of stairs.
The erstwhile Jewish communities of North Africa dated to before the arrival of the first Arabs.
Origin
From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.
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