Etymograph

English

on

On comes from Middle English on ‘on, in’, from Old English on ‘on, in, at, among’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on, onto’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂en-‘on’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*an‘on’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*anareconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150on‘on’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘on’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂en-‘on’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*an‘on’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*anareconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150on‘on’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘on’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1599same form

Earliest quotation: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Be not jealous on me.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on, onto’

end, along, ana, anterior, asunder, 8 more

through Old English on ‘on, in, at, among’

upon, abed, 2 more

Another origin of on

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḗnu‘without’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ēnu‘without’reconstructed
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350ón‘without’
  4. Englishtodayon

Unlikely to be related to Ancient Greek ἄνευ (áneu, “without”), which is likely akin to Proto-Germanic *sundraz instead (whence sunder).

Another origin of on

  1. Japanesemodern音読みon'yomi‘the reading of a Japanese word written in kanji that is roughly based on the…’literally ‘sound reading’
  2. Englishtodayon

Today it means

adj In the state of being active, functioning or operating.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- / on

Shirt and support for this word