seldom
pronunciation
How to pronounce seldom in British English:
UK [ˈseldəm]
How to pronounce seldom in American English:
US [ˈseldəm]
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- Adverb:
- not often
Word Origin
- seldom
- seldom: [OE] Seldom goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *selda-, of which the underlying notion appears to have been ‘strange and rare’. Its modern Germanic relatives include German selten, Dutch zelten, Swedish sällan, and Danish sjelden.
- seldom (adv.)
- late Old English seldum, alteration of seldan "seldom, rarely," from Proto-Germanic *selda- "strange, rare" (cognates: Old Norse sjaldan, Old Frisian selden, Dutch zelden, Old High German seltan, German selten), perhaps ultimately from the base of self (q.v.). Form shifted on analogy of adverbial dative plurals in -um (such as whilom "at one time," from while). The same development also created litlum from little, miclum from mickle. German seltsam "strange, odd," Dutch zeldzaam are related, but with the second element conformed to their versions of -some. Seldom-times is from mid-15c. (Old English had seldhwanne "seldwhen"). Seldom-seen is from mid-15c. (Old English had seldsiene, "seld-seen"). Some compounds using the old form survived through Middle English, such as selcouth"rarely or little-known, unusual, strange, wonderful," from Old English selcuð, seld-cuð, from seldan + cuð (see couth). Old English seldan had comparative seldor, superlative seldost; in early Middle English, as seldan changed form and lost its connection with these, selde was formed as a positive. Shakespeare uses seld-shown.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. Innovation seldom happens from the inside because existing incentives are usually set up to discourage disruption .
- 2. Single events seldom determine the fate of a presidency .
- 3. She seldom if ever goes to his house .
- 4. Shareholder votes are seldom this damning .
- 5. Nowadays girls seldom confide in their mothers .