Etymology Explorer › English

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

Words derived from “off-”

  • offset
  • offshore
  • offline
  • offshoot
  • offhand
  • offshoring
  • offbeat
  • offsite
  • offload
  • offhandedly
  • offhanded
  • offputting
  • offscouring
  • offhandedness
  • offshorable
  • offputtingly
  • offsaddle
  • offloader
  • nonoffset
  • offscum
  • offsetter
  • offlead
  • offskip
  • offstanding
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epó →