Where does “after” come from?
after (Middle High German) comes from Old High German after, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic after, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros — further behind, further away.
after (Middle High German): after
Definitions
- after
Ancestry of “after”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | after | after; according to, in; behind |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *aftar | after, behind |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | after | after, behind |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂epoteros | further behind, further away |