Pastime

How to spell pastime

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pastime

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pastime mean?

1. nounAn activity done regularly for enjoyment in one's spare time.

Pastime in a sentence

• Gardening became her favourite pastime after she retired.

• Watching football remains the most popular national pastime.

Where does pastime come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is simply 'pass' joined to 'time', and it literally meant a way of passing or spending one's time pleasantly. It appeared in English in the mid 1400s and was very likely shaped by the French passe-temps, which combines passer 'to pass' with temps 'time' in exactly the same way. When the two English words fused into one, the spelling was smoothed down: the double 's' of 'pass' was reduced to a single 's', and only one 't' was kept rather than doubling at the seam. That contraction is precisely the trap, because the eye expects 'passtime' or 'pasttime' from the obvious 'pass' and 'time' roots. The original sense of a leisure activity that helps the hours go by has stayed remarkably stable for almost six centuries.

How the word is built

• pass (to pass, spend)
• time (time); contracted to a single -s- and single -t- where the two words joined