Where does “off-” come from?

off- (English) comes from Middle English of-, from Old English of-, from Proto-Germanic aba-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epó — off, away.

off- (English): Away from; off

Definitions

  1. Away from; off

Ancestry of “off-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishof-away from; off
2Old Englishof-off, away, from, out of, away from; down;...
3Proto-Germanicaba-away, away from
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epóoff, away

Words derived from “off-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epó →Every word from Proto-Germanic aba- →Every word from Old English of- →