WHILE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwīl; akin to Old High German hwīla time, Latin quies rest, quiet Date: before 12th century a period of time especially when short and marked by the occurrence of an action or a condition ; time , the time and effort used (as in the performance of an action) ; trouble , II. conjunction Date: 12th century 1. during the time that , as long as , 2. when on the other hand ; whereas , in spite of the fact that ; although , similarly and at the same time that , III. preposition Date: 15th century until , IV. transitive verb (~d; whiling) Date: 1635 to cause to pass especially without boredom or in a pleasant manner