Where does “thenceafter” come from?

thenceafter (English) comes from English after, from Middle English after, from Old English æfter, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic after, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros — further behind, further away.

thenceafter (English): After that time; thereafter

Definitions

  1. After that time; thereafter

Ancestry of “thenceafter”, step by step

thenceafter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English after

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishafterBehind; later in time; following; Subsequently...
2Middle Englishafterafter
3Old Englishæfterafter; according to
4Proto-West Germanic*aftarafter, behind
5Proto-Germanicafterafter, behind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epoterosfurther behind, further away

via English thence

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthenceFrom there, from that place or from that time;...
2Old Englishþanonthence, from there; thereupon, after that
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros →Every word from Proto-Germanic after →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *aftar →
thenceafter — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer