seldom, adv. and a.
(ˈsɛldəm)
Forms: α. 1 seldan, -on, -un, 3–6 selden, (3 Orm. seldenn), 4–5 -ene, -on(e, -yn(e, -ine, 4–6 -in, 5 -ing, -an, celdane; 4–5 sild-, sylden, 5 -un, -yn, 4–6 -on; 4–5 sielden, seelden, -yn, seilden, -yn, 4–6 -in, 5 seyldyn. Also sendle. β. 1, 3, 5 seldum, 4–7 -ome, 5 celdom, seldoum, 6 selldome, 4– seldom; 5–7 sildom(e, 6 syldome, sildam; 4–7 seeldome, 5 -am, -em, ceeldam, 6 seeldom, sealdome, 6–7 sieldome.
[OE. seldan (altered to seldum by the analogy of advb. datives plural like hw{iacu}lum: see whilom) corresponds to OFris. sielden, MLG., MDu. selden (mod.Du. zelden), OHG. seltan (MHG., mod.G. selten), ON. sialdan (Da. sjelden, Sw. sällan), f. OTeut. *seldo- (prob. an adj.) represented in Goth. sildaleik-s wonderful (whence sildaleikjan to be astonished). The ulterior affinities are unknown.]
A. adv. a. On few occasions, in few cases or instances, not often; rarely, infrequently.
| α c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. ix. 57 Seldun mon ᵹeleornað on miclum rice eaðmodnesse. c 1200 Ormin 8468 Forrþi þatt Arrchelaw þe king þær munnde cumenn seldenn. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xiii. ii. (1495) 441 Also in wynter selden or neuer pytte water fresyth. c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. iii. (1885) 114 Thai eyten no flesshe but yf it be right seldon a litle larde. a 1510 Douglas K. Hart i. 142 For seildin had thai sene sic folkis befoir. 1538 Starkey England i. iii. 85 Pryncys and lordys syldon loke to the gud ordur and welth of theyr subiectys. |
| β a 1000 [see b]. c 1220 Bestiary 241 Ðe mire..resteð hire seldum. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 756 For seldom a man þat has þat held, Hele has, and him-self may weld. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 65/1 Ceeldam (P. celdom), raro. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xiv. 77 Seeldem fallith the contrarie. 1589 Nashe Anat. Absurd. A 4 b, That face [is] most faire, which seldommest comes into the open ayre. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 47 Or oftner, or seldomer, as occasion required. 1678 Ray Prov. (ed. 2) 348 Listners seldome hear good of themselves. 1748 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Montagu 2 Feb. (1893) II. 159 Complainers are seldom pitied, and boasters yet seldomer believed. 1867 Mill Subj. Women (1869) 142 Women, it is said, seldomer fall under the penal law..than men. |
| Proverb. 1546 Heywood Prov. i. iv. Wks. (1562) A iv b, Seldome comth the better. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, ii. iii. 4. 1650 H. Parker True Portr. Kings Eng. 32 Yet (as we say) Seldom comes a better; when one is cut off, another like the Hidra's head springs up in his place. |
b. With
ever added pleonastically. (
Cf. ever 7 c,
rarely 2 b.) ?
Obs.| a 1000 Sal. & Sat. 269 Seldum æfre his leoma licggað. 1643 Trapp Comm. Gen. iv. 17 They seek to immortalize themselves upon their possessions; but the third heire seldome ever owns them. 1813, 1828 [see ever 7 c]. |
† c. seldom or ever: by confusion of ‘seldom if ever’ and ‘seldom or never’. (
Cf. ever 7 b,
rarely 2 c.)
| 1752 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 14 ¶2 The Players seldom or ever throw out the Voice with any Vehemence. 1827 D. Johnson Ind. Field Sports 100 It is what they seldom or ever do. |
d. it is seldom that{ddd} (
Cf. rarely 2 d.) Also
† it is seldom when{ddd} (
Cf. seldom-when in C.)
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 30 Ful selden is that welthe Can soffre his oghne astat in helthe. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. lviii. (1869) 98 Seelden it was þat j sih hire. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. iv. 79 'Tis seldome, when the Bee doth leaue her Comb In the dead Carrion. 1812 Coleridge Lett. (1895) 599 It is seldom that want of leisure can be fairly stated as an excuse for not writing. a 1859 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxiv. V. 229 It was seldom indeed that a white freeman..was employed in severe bodily labour. |
B. adj. Rare, infrequent. Now chiefly
U.S.| 1483 Cath. Angl. 328/2 Seldome [MS. seldone], jnfrequens, rarus, rariter. 1528 Tindale Obed. Chr. Man 71 b, Chastite is an exceadinge selden gyfte. 1585 Queen Elizabeth in Holinshed's Chron. (1587) III. 1396/2 Yet amongst my manie volumes, I hope Gods booke hath not beene my sildomest lectures. 1587 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 445 Yf at seldom tymes he should chaunce to play at lawfull games. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lii, Blunting the fine point of seldome pleasure. 1650 Jer. Taylor Holy Living ii. §2 (1727) 59 A suppressed and seldom anger. 1658 Whole Duty Man v. §14. 45 We should think it wisdom to be as frequent as we are ordinarily seldom in it. 1797 A. Seward Lett. (1811) IV. 302 His ‘nor did not’, used as an affirmative at seldom times by Milton, is frequent here. 1822 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Books & Reading, Seldom-readers are slow readers. 1865 Mrs. Whitney Gayworthys xix, They..watched, with grieved hearts and seldom speech. 1883 ‘Mark Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxi. 222 The seldomest spectacle on the Mississippi to-day is a wood⁓pile. 1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 18 Nov. 1/2 On evenings reserved..to the seldom speakers. 1959 W. Golding Free Fall i. 26 My seldom night terrors. 1961 E. Wilson in Webster s.v., With her small seldom smile. |
C. Comb., as
seldom-comfortless,
seldom-seen (
cf. seldseen),
seldom-trodden adjs.;
seldom-time(s,
-when,
-while advs., rarely.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 229 His *seldom-comfortlesse flatterers. |
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 452/1 Selkow, or *seeldam seyne, rarus. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa i. 22 So woorthie and so seldome-seene guests. 1386 *Selden time [see seld-time s.v. seld C.]. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2289 Ful seldyn tyme speke he walde. |
| 1557 North Gueuara's Diall Pr. 106 It *seldome times chaunceth but that one of the parties are deceived. |
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvii. §4 Þeah hi *seldum hwonne beswemde weorðen. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 237 He duelte evere in chambre stille,..That selden whanne in other stede If that he wolde wenden oute. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iv. ii. 89 Sildome when The steeled Gaoler is the friend of men. |
| 1876 Lanier Poems, Ps. West 107 Solemn wings that wave but *seldomwhile. |