Where does “onwardness” come from?
onwardness (English) comes from English onward, from English on, from Middle English on, from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
onwardness (English): Progress; advancement
Ancestry of “onwardness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | onward | Moving forward; Advanced in a forward direction... |
| 2 | English | on | In the state of being active, functioning or... |
| 3 | Middle English | on | on, in; on; Alternative form of oon |
| 4 | Old English | on | on, in, at, among; from |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | ana | on |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |