Where does “within” come from?
Within comes from Middle English withinnen, from Old English wiþinnan, combining Old English wiþ and inne, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wī- and h₁en.
within (English): In the inner part, spatially; physically inside;...
Definitions
- In the inner part, spatially; physically inside;...
Ancestry of “within”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | withinne | — |
| 2 | Old English | wiþinnan | within |
| 3 | Old English | wiþ | against, opposite; along, towards; with |
| 4 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |
Words derived from “within”