Where does “afterword” come from?

Afterword comes from English after and Middle English worth, from Proto-Germanic wurdą meaning "word," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning "to speak."

afterword (English): an epilogue; a postscript; an appendix

Definitions

  1. an epilogue; a postscript; an appendix

Ancestry of “afterword”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwordThe smallest unit of language that has a...
2Middle EnglishwordA word; A statement; a linguistic unit said or...
3Old Englishworðword
4Proto-Germanic*word—
5Proto-Germanicwurdąword
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerdʰo-word
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wurdą →