Where does “castoff” come from?

castoff (English) comes from English off, from Middle English of, from Old English of, from Old English æf, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European apó.

castoff (English): Something that has been rejected or discarded; a...

Definitions

Something that has been rejected or discarded; a...

Ancestry of “castoff”, step by step

castoff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English off

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	off	In a direction away from the speaker or object;...
2	Middle English	of	of; off; until
3	Old English	of	of, from, off, out of
4	Old English	æf	of
5	Proto-Germanic	*ab	—
6	Proto-Indo-European	apó	—

via English cast

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	cast	To throw; To throw forward into the sea; To...
2	Middle English	casten	to throw, cast
3	Old Norse	kasta	to cast, to throw
4	Proto-Germanic	kastōną	to throw
5	Proto-Germanic	kas-	to throw; bring up; toss

Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →