Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “afore-” come from?

afore- (English) comes from English ā-, from Old English ġe-, from Proto-West Germanic ga-, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe, from Middle English kyt, from German kitt — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

afore- (English): Previously

Definitions

  1. Previously

Ancestry of “afore-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishā-—
2Old Englishġe-—
3Proto-West Germanicga-used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating...
4Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
7Middle Englishkyt—
8Germankitt—
9Old High Germankuti—
10Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
11Proto-Germanickweduzresin
12Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
13Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “afore-”

  • aforesaid
  • aforementioned
  • aforetime
  • aforethought
  • aforenamed
  • aforegoing
  • aforestated
  • aforecited
  • aforedescribed
  • aforenoted
  • aforelisted
  • aforespecified
  • aforelinked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →