I. ˈwīl, esp before pause or consonant ˈwīəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wil, from (assumed) Old North French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English wigle divination, sorcery — more at witch
1. : a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive : a sly artifice ; also : a beguiling or playful trick
television advertising in America has simply adapted old wiles to new forms of expression — E.S.Turner
2. : trickery , deceitfulness , guile
Synonyms: see trick
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English wilen, from wil wile
1. : to lure by or as if by a magic spell : entice , beguile , allure
his sermons would wile the birds from the trees — John Buchan
2.
[perhaps alteration (influenced in meaning by Latin decipere diem, literally, to cheat the time, French tromper le temps ) of while ]
: to pass or spend pleasurably : while — often used with away
wile away the long days — Virginia Woolf