-ward | Meaning Of Suffix -ward By Etymonline

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Origin and history of -ward

-ward

adverbial suffix of Germanic origin expressing direction or tendency to or from a point, Old English -weard "toward," sometimes -weardes (with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives), from Proto-Germanic *werda- (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian -ward, Old Norse -verðr, German -wärts), variant of PIE *werto- "to turn, wind" (from root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend"). The notion is of "turned in the direction of." Also used to indicate points of the compass.

Entries linking to -ward

afterward(adv.)

Old English æfterwearde "behind, in back, in the rear," from æft "after" (see aft) + -weard suffix indicating direction (see -ward); expanded by influence of after. Variant afterwards shows adverbial genitive. Old English had also æfterweardnes "posterity."

aftward(adv.)

"toward the stern or back part of a vessel," Middle English afteward, from Old English æftewearde; see aft + -ward. The original form of afterward (q.v.), retained in nautical use. Related: Aftwards.

• arseward
• awkward
• backward
• downward
• eastward
• forward
• fromward
• Godward
• heavenward
• homeward
• inward
• landward
• leeward
• leftward
• northward
• offward
• onward
• outward
• See All Related Words (31)

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awkwardmid-14c. (adv.), "in the wrong direction," from awk "back-handed" + adverbial suffix -weard (see -ward). The original sense is obsolete. As an adjective, "turned the wrong way," 1510s. The meaning "clumsy, wanting ease and grace in movement" is recorded by 1520s. Of persons, "embbackward"with the face to the rear, in the direction behind," c. 1300, from abakward, from Old English on bæc (see back (adv.), and compare aback) + -weard adjectival and adverbial suffix (see -ward). As an adverb, Old English had bæcling. As an adjective, from 1550s. The meaning "behinddownward"from a higher to a lower place, state, or condition," late 12c., from down (adv.) + -ward. As a preposition, "down," by late 14c. As an adjective, "moving or tending from a higher to a lwer place, state, or condition," from 1550s. As an adverb Old English had aduneweard. Downwaravertdirect; avert; make aware" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *advertire, from Latin avertere "to turn away; to drive away; shun; ward...The meaning "ward off, prevent the occurrence of" is from 1610s. Related: Averted; averting....pupil[student], late 14c., "orphan child, ward, person under the care of a guardian," from Old French pupille (14c.) and directly...from Latin pupillus (fem. pupilla) "orphan child, ward, minor," diminutive of pupus "boy" (fem. pupa "girl"), probably related...Abrahamthe name (from at least 1640s), they originally were from Bethlehem Hospital, where in early times there was an Abraham ward...or room for such persons, but the ward might have been named for the beggars....autarkyself-sufficient, having enough, independent of others" (also used of countries), from autos "self" (see auto-) + arkein "to ward...prosec. 1300, "story, narration," from Old French prose (13c.) and directly from Latin prosa, short for prosa oratio "straightforward or direct speech" (without the ornaments of verse), from prosa, fem. of prosus, earlier prorsus "straightforward, direct," from Old Latin provorsus "(mhonorc. 1200, onur, "glory, renown, fame earned," from Anglo-French honour, Old French onor, honor "honor, dignity, distinction, position; victory, triumph" (Modern French honneur), from Latin honorem (nominative honos, the form used by Cicero, but later honor) "honor, dignity, officeDruid"one of the order of priests among the ancient Celts of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland," 1560s, from French druide (16c.), from Latin druis, fem. druias (plural druidae), from Gaulish Druides, from Celtic compound *dru-wid- "strong seer," from Old Celtic *derwos "true" (from PIE root

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/-wardCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ward">Etymology of -ward by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of -ward. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 19, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/-wardCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of -ward," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed January 19, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ward.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of -ward." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ward. Accessed 19 January, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of -ward." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ward (accessed January 19, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near -ward

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