English
oft
Oft comes from Old English oft ‘often’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *uftō.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uftō‘often’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*oftureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150oft‘often’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uftō‘often’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*oftureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150oft‘often’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1604–1605, William Shakespeare, All’s Well, that Ends Well: “What I can do, can do no hurt to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up’
suggest, sub, sum, suspicion, upwards, hypo, subaltern, 8 more
through Proto-Germanic *ub ‘under’
Today it means
adv often; frequently; not rarely
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *uftō / oft