Is seldom an old word?

seldom (adv.) late Old English seldum, alteration of seldan “seldom, rarely,” from Proto-Germanic *selda- “strange, rare” (source also of Old Norse sjaldan, Old Frisian selden, Dutch zelden, Old High German seltan, German selten), perhaps ultimately from the base of self (q.v.). (Old English had seldhwanne “seldwhen”).

Do people still use seldom?

According to Google’s Ngram viewer, seldom has in fact been rarer than rarely in writing since about 1950. The OED’s earliest quoted example of rarely in the sense of seldom is from 1546, yet seldom has an example from c. 897, so seldom had a bit of a head start, but rarely has been steadily gaining in popularity.

Is Seldom American English?

Definition and synonyms of seldom from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education. This is the British English definition of seldom.

Why is seldom a word?

Seldom is a Middle English word, from Old English seldum, a spelling alteration of seldan “strange, rare.” In Old English, the spelling seldum came about by analogy with forms such as Old English hwilum “formerly, at one time,” from hwil “time, while.”

Is seldom commonly used?

No. Infrequent. I seldom come across it. Note: “Seldom” is both an adjective and an adverb.

What does seldom if ever mean?

Definition of rarely/seldom if ever —used as a more forceful way to say “rarely” or “seldom” I have seldom if ever been so embarrassed. Note: Rarely if ever and seldom if ever can be written both with or without commas.

What is the difference between hardly and seldom?

As adverbs the difference between hardly and seldom is that hardly is (manner|obsolete) firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion while seldom is infrequently, rarely.

What is the meaning of seldom used?

: in few instances : rarely, infrequently.

Is seldom used in USA?

Nope. They seldom use ‘scarcely’ and scarcely use ‘seldom’. Americans speak the most improper English known, its called American. Their vocabulary is simple compared to the rest of us.