mists of time

English

Noun

mists of time pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic, also poetic, literary) Any time so long ago that history is no longer clear, as though lost in a mist or fog.

   lost in the mists of time

   • 1979 October 12, Douglas Adams, chapter 15, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, London: Pan Books, →ISBN, page 89:

     Far back in the mists of ancient time, in the great and glorious days of the former Galactic Empire, life was wild, rich and largely tax free.

Translations

Translations

Finnish: aikojen hämärässä French: nuit des temps (fr) f Polish: pomroka dziejów f Spanish: neblinas del tiempo f pl, tiempos inmemoriales m pl

See also

• sands of time
• dawn of time
• time immemorial

Further reading

• “the mists of time”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “lost in the mists of time” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “lost in the mists of time”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.