yestertide · adv — in times past, at a prior time; in the past. It carries an Arena rating of 1491, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, yestertide ranks #687 of 17,153 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,541 of 17,137 for Most Sublime Words, #3,229 of 17,135 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,124 of 17,135 for Most Elegant Words.
Why “yestertide” is a great word
A period of time previous to the present, or the past collectively. From the combining form yester- (meaning "yesterday" or "previous") + tide (in its older sense of "time, season, period"). Unlike "yesterday," which specifically denotes the day immediately before today, or "yesteryear," which typically evokes a nostalgic, often personal past, yestertide is a broader, more neutral and archaic term for any bygone time. It is the faded banner in the great hall, the unread names in the parish registry, the silted-up bed of an old river course—the accumulated weight of all ordinary moments that have slipped irretrievably into what we might call, with insufficient gravity, the past.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From yester- + tide (“time, season, period”).
adv
- In times past, at a prior time; in the past.e.g.“And loudly to her lovers called, to leap To arms for her sore sake, that yestertide In her delight delighted, and drank deep Of her lascivious wine-cups, […]” — 1889, Alfred Austin, The Human Tragedy:
noun
- A time period previous to the present; the past.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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