In Scottish dialect, a very long time or an age; an eternity or indefinite period.
From Scottish English 'eltime' or 'illtime,' combining 'el' or 'ill' (possibly from Old English 'æl' meaning 'eel' or from Norse influence) with 'time,' though the exact etymology is debated among dialectologists.
Scottish English is a treasure trove of archaic words—'eltime' survives mainly in older texts and regional speech, showing how English dialectologists have to be detectives, reconstructing lost meanings from scarce historical records.
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