Where does “off” come from?

Off derives from Middle English of, from Old English of and oþ, both from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo, ultimately from the root h₁ey-.

off (English): In a direction away from the speaker or object;...

Definitions

  1. In a direction away from the speaker or object;...

Ancestry of “off”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishofof; off; until
2Old Englishofof, from, off, out of
3Old Englishæfof
4Proto-Germanic*ab—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

Words derived from “off”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →