Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “of” come from?

of (Middle English) comes from Old English of, from Old English æf, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European apó.

of (Middle English): of; off; until

Definitions

  1. of; off; until

Ancestry of “of”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishofof, from, off, out of
2Old Englishæfof
3Proto-Germanic*ab—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

Words derived from “of”

  • off
  • whereof
  • runoff
  • payoff
  • cutoff
  • offing
  • offish
  • offstage
  • turnoff
  • backoff
  • offscreen
  • coupla
  • knockoff
  • castoff
  • offprint
  • sendoff
  • signoff
  • offramp
  • showoff
  • faceoff
  • pickoff
  • offishness
  • blastoff
  • offsuit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →