Not often; rarely or infrequently occurring.
From Old English 'seldan,' meaning 'rarely' or 'at long intervals,' related to Old Norse 'sjaldan.' The word has maintained its meaning consistently for over a thousand years, making it one of the more stable frequency adverbs in English.
Unlike many frequency words that have shifted meaning, 'seldom' has been remarkably stable, appearing in Beowulf with essentially the same meaning it has today. It's also one of the few negative frequency adverbs that doesn't require 'not' to express rarity.
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