Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of -ward

-ward

adverbial suffix of Germanic origin expressing direction or tendency to or from a point, Old English -weard "toward," sometimes -weardes (with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives), from Proto-Germanic *werda- (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian -ward, Old Norse -verðr, German -wärts), variant of PIE *werto- "to turn, wind" (from root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend"). The notion is of "turned in the direction of." Also used to indicate points of the compass.

Entries linking to -ward

afterward(adv.)

Old English æfterwearde "behind, in back, in the rear," from æft "after" (see aft) + -weard suffix indicating direction (see -ward); expanded by influence of after. Variant afterwards shows adverbial genitive. Old English had also æfterweardnes "posterity."

aftward(adv.)

"toward the stern or back part of a vessel," Middle English afteward, from Old English æftewearde; see aft + -ward. The original form of afterward (q.v.), retained in nautical use. Related: Aftwards.

Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

More to explore

awkward
mid-14c. (adv.), "in the wrong direction," from awk "back-handed" + adverbial suffix -weard (see -ward). The original sense is obsolete. As an adjective, "turned the wrong way," 1510s. The meaning "clumsy, wanting ease and grace in movement" is recorded by 1520s. Of persons, "emb
backward
"with the face to the rear, in the direction behind," c. 1300, from abakward, from Old English on bæc (see back (adv.), and compare aback) + -weard adjectival and adverbial suffix (see -ward). As an adverb, Old English had bæcling. As an adjective, from 1550s. The meaning "behind
downward
"from a higher to a lower place, state, or condition," late 12c., from down (adv.) + -ward. As a preposition, "down," by late 14c. As an adjective, "moving or tending from a higher to a lwer place, state, or condition," from 1550s. As an adverb Old English had aduneweard. Downwar
avert
direct; avert; make aware" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *advertire, from Latin avertere "to turn away; to drive away; shun; ward...The meaning "ward off, prevent the occurrence of" is from 1610s. Related: Averted; averting....
pupil
[student], late 14c., "orphan child, ward, person under the care of a guardian," from Old French pupille (14c.) and directly...from Latin pupillus (fem. pupilla) "orphan child, ward, minor," diminutive of pupus "boy" (fem. pupa "girl"), probably related...
Abraham
the name (from at least 1640s), they originally were from Bethlehem Hospital, where in early times there was an Abraham ward...or room for such persons, but the ward might have been named for the beggars....
autarky
self-sufficient, having enough, independent of others" (also used of countries), from autos "self" (see auto-) + arkein "to ward...
prose
c. 1300, "story, narration," from Old French prose (13c.) and directly from Latin prosa, short for prosa oratio "straightforward or direct speech" (without the ornaments of verse), from prosa, fem. of prosus, earlier prorsus "straightforward, direct," from Old Latin provorsus "(m
honor
c. 1200, onur, "glory, renown, fame earned," from Anglo-French honour, Old French onor, honor "honor, dignity, distinction, position; victory, triumph" (Modern French honneur), from Latin honorem (nominative honos, the form used by Cicero, but later honor) "honor, dignity, office
Druid
"one of the order of priests among the ancient Celts of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland," 1560s, from French druide (16c.), from Latin druis, fem. druias (plural druidae), from Gaulish Druides, from Celtic compound *dru-wid- "strong seer," from Old Celtic *derwos "true" (from PIE root

Share -ward

Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Trending
Dictionary entries near -ward
Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.