Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “along” come from?

Along comes from Old English andlang, combining Old English and- with Proto-Germanic langaz, which derives from Proto-Indo-European dl̥h₁gʰós meaning long, and Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning opposite or facing.

along (English): By the length of; in a line with the length of;...

Definitions

  1. By the length of; in a line with the length of;...

Ancestry of “along”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishandlangthroughout, all along; along
2Old Englishand-against, opposing; in return, back; facing,...
3Proto-West Germanicanda-against, opposing; in return, back; facing,...
4Proto-Germanicanda-against, opposing; un-, de-
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “along”

  • alongside
  • longshore
  • longa
  • longshoreman
  • alongshore
  • singalong
  • tagalong
  • ridealong
  • upalong
  • walkalong
  • alongshelf
  • wherealong
  • clapalong
  • knitalong
  • alongshoreman
  • poke along
  • alonge
  • wok long
  • long wanem
  • long
  • langa
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →