Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “out” come from?

Out comes from Old English ūt, from Proto-Germanic ūt, from Proto-Indo-European ud, a directional particle meaning away or outward.

out (English): Away from the inside, centre or other point of...

Definitions

  1. Away from the inside, centre or other point of...

Ancestry of “out”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishoute—
2Old Englishūtout
3Proto-West Germanic*ūt—
4Proto-Germanicūtout, outward
5Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

Words derived from “out”

  • outside
  • output
  • outcome
  • outer
  • outline
  • layout
  • outlet
  • outfit
  • outsider
  • workout
  • outdated
  • turnout
  • dropout
  • outermost
  • payout
  • timeout
  • printout
  • handout
  • readout
  • outage
  • hideout
  • washout
  • lockout
  • bailout
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →