worth while

worth while (comparative more worth while, superlative most worth while)

1. Dated spelling of worthwhile.
   • 1873, John Murray (publishers.), Handbook for travellers in Scotland (page 261)

     About 6 ft. from the ground is fastened "the joug," an iron collar in the wall, used to confine prisoners before it was thought worth while to build prisons or cages for them.

   • 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “Conclusion”, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page [275]:

     Some day it may seem worth while to take up the story of the younger ones again and see what sort of men and women they turned out to be; […]

   • 1918, William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style:

     Strictly applicable only to actions: "Is it worth while to telegraph?" ... The use of worth while before a noun ("a worth while story") is indefensible.

   • 1964 December, “Southern raises capacity of Borough Market Junction”, in Modern Railways, page 416:

     When Mr. Charles Hopkins was General Manager of the SR he expressed to us the view that it would be worth while in the cause of regular and reliable operation to reduce the number of trains passing through such bottlenecks as Borough Market Junction on the South Eastern Division.