Etymograph

English

off

Off comes from Old English of ‘from, off, away’, from æf ‘of’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epó‘off’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ab‘from’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*abreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150æf‘of’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150of‘from’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500of
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1897off

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epó‘off’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ab‘from’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*abreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150æf‘of’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150of‘from’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500of
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1897off

Earliest quotation: 1897, Winston Churchill: “No matter how early I came down, I would…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘off, away’

afterward, abdomen, overt, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *ab ‘from’

ebb

through Middle English of

of

Today it means

adv In a direction away from the speaker or other reference point.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep / off

Shirt and support for this word