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seldom

 - 3 dictionary results

sel⋅dom

  [sel-duhm]
Use seldom in a Sentence
–adverb
1. on only a few occasions; rarely; infrequently; not often: We seldom see our old neighbors anymore.
–adjective
2. rare; infrequent.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE seldum, var. of seldan; c. G selten, Goth silda-

Related forms:
sel⋅dom⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To seldom
sel·dom   (sěl'dəm)   
adv.  Not often; infrequently or rarely. See Usage Note at rarely.
adj.   Archaic
Infrequent; rare.

[Middle English, from Old English seldum, alteration of seldan.]
sel'dom·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

seldom 
O.E. seldum, alteration of seldan "rare," on analogy of adverbial dative plurals in -um (e.g. whilom "at one time"), from P.Gmc. *selda- "strange, rare" (cf. O.N. sjaldan, O.Fris. selden, Du. zelden, Ger. selten), perhaps ult. from the base of self (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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