English
utter
Utter comes from Old English ūtera ‘exterior, outer’, from ūt ‘out’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *úd.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*úd‘upwards, away, out, outward’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ūt‘out, outward’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘out, outward’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ūt‘out’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150ūtera‘exterior, outer’literally ‘more out’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500outre
- Englishearliest quotation 1526utter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*úd‘upwards, away, out, outward’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ūt‘out, outward’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘out, outward’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ūt‘out’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150ūtera‘exterior, outer’literally ‘more out’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500outre
- Englishearliest quotation 1526utter
Earliest quotation: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “Wo be to you ſcrybꝭ [scrybis]⸝ ãd phariſes ypocritꝭ…”
The story
The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (‘situated on the outside of, exterior’), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (‘out’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *úd ‘upwards, away, out, outward’
awaken, amaze, hubris, aghast, uterus, uterine, hysteresis, 6 more
through Proto-Germanic *ūt ‘out, outward’
through Proto-West Germanic *ūt ‘out, outward’
through Old English ūt ‘out’
through Middle English outre
Another origin of utter
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500outren
- Englishtodayutter
Today it means
adj To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *úd / utter