This week’s theme
Adverbs

This week’s words
elsewhither
posthaste
abreast
ad nauseam
anywhen

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(EN-ee-hwen)

MEANING:

adverb: At any time.

ETYMOLOGY:

From any + when, from Old English ǣnig + hwenne. Earliest documented use: 1834.

NOTES:

English, in its boundless capacity for linguistic possibilities, once welcomed anywhen alongside anywhere and anyhow. Sadly, anywhen never quite caught on, perhaps because time, unlike place or manner, resists easy invitation. Still, it’s a handy word for those who prefer to keep their schedules flexible. Postpone it, prepone it (for some reason it’s highly popular in India), or simply pone it. Anywhen is good.

USAGE:

“Though the stories are centred on Dhaka, they could have happened anywhere, anywhen.”
Divya Dubey; Dhaka in 10 Short Takes; India Today (New Delhi); Jan 23, 2017.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: