pastime
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word pastime. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word pastime, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say pastime in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word pastime you have here. The definition of the word pastime will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpastime, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From earlier passtime, pass-time, from Middle English passe tyme, passetyme, calque of Middle French passetemps.
Pronunciation
- (UK, General American) IPA(key): /ˈpæs.taɪm/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpɑːs.taɪm/
Noun
pastime (plural pastimes)
- Something which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably.
- Synonyms: kill-time; see also Thesaurus:hobby
- Chatting is a pleasant pastime.
- 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
- Hunting and fishing, the most important employments of mankind in the rude state of society, become in its advanced state their most agreeable amusements, and they pursue for pleasure what they once followed from necessity. In the advanced state of society, therefore, they are all very poor people who follow as a trade what other people pursue as a pastime.
- 1883, Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi:
- […] lax court morals and the absurd chivalry business were in full feather, and the joust and the tournament were the frequent pastime of titled fine gentlemen who could fight better than they could spell...
- 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN:
- An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.
- 2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 398:
- Nor would there be an opportunity for the media's favorite pastime of exposing conflict among his advisors.
Usage notes
- Not to be confused with past-time, which has a different meaning.
Translations
that which amuses
|
Further reading
- “pastime”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Verb
pastime (third-person singular simple present pastimes, present participle pastiming, simple past and past participle pastimed)
- (intransitive, obsolete) To sport; to amuse oneself.