English
afford
Afford comes from Old English forþian ‘to further, accomplish, afford’, from Proto-Germanic *furþōną ‘to go forward, to advance’, and ultimately from *furþą.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furþą‘forth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furþōną‘to go forward’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forþian‘to further’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afforthen
- Englishearliest quotation 1892afford
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furþą‘forth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furþōną‘to go forward’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forþian‘to further’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afforthen
- Englishearliest quotation 1892afford
Earliest quotation: 1892, Ella Eaton Kellogg, Vegetables: “The percentage of nutritive elements contained in the parsnip…”
Proto-Indo-European *uds- ‘up, out’
Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘out-’
Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’
English a-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to cross’
first, far, per, before, support, further, price, private, press, report, practice, fear, pre, primary, prime, opportunity, appreciate, prize, prior, pregnant, transport, practical, sport, port, precious, praise, interpretation, privilege, parade, par, ferry, pirate, fare, primitive, prix, porch, pardon, interpreter, pragmatic, privy, 157 more
through Proto-Germanic *furþą ‘forth, forward’
Today it means
verb To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of ability, as could, able, difficult) to be able or rich enough; to spare.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *furþą / afford