[hwahyl, wahyl] 
noun, conjunction, preposition, verb, whiled, whil⋅ing.| 1. | a period or interval of time: to wait a long while; He arrived a short while ago. |
| 2. | Archaic. a particular time or occasion. |
| 3. | during or in the time that. |
| 4. | throughout the time that; as long as. |
| 5. | even though; although: While she appreciated the honor, she could not accept the position. |
| 6. | at the same time that (showing an analogous or corresponding action): The floor was strewn with books, while magazines covered the tables. |
| 7. | Archaic. until. |
| 8. | to cause (time) to pass, esp. in some easy or pleasant manner (usually fol. by away). |
| 9. | all the while, at or during this time; all along: She realized all the while that the cake would fall. |
| 10. | worth one's while, worth one's time, trouble, or expense: The art exhibition that opened yesterday isn't worth your while. |
| while (hwīl, wīl) n.
To spend (time) idly or pleasantly: while the hours away. [Middle English, from Old English hwīl; see kweiə- in Indo-European roots.] |
while programming
The loop construct found in nearly all procedural languages which executes one or more instructions (the "loop body") repeatedly so long as some condition evaluates to true. In contrast to a repeat loop, the loop body will not be executed at all if the condition is false on entry to the while.
For example, in C, a while loop is written
while (
where
(1995-03-14)
while
In addition to the idioms beginning with while, also see all the time (while); a while back; every now and then (once in a while); fiddle while Rome burns; get out while the getting is good; in a while; make hay while the sun shines; once in a while; quit while you're ahead; strike while the iron's hot; worth one's while.