Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “onwards” come from?

Onwards derives from English on, which was influenced by Japanese 音読み and Japanese 音, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots including wen-, óynos, and wer-.

onwards (English): onward; Third-person singular simple present...

Definitions

  1. onward; Third-person singular simple present...

Ancestry of “onwards”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-wardsForming adjectives and adverbs denoting course or...
2Old English-weardesAlternative form of -weard
3Old English-espossessive marker, indicating that an object...
4Proto-Germanic-as—
5Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
6Proto-Indo-European-ess—
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →