-ward

See also -wards

English

Etymology

From Old English -weard, -weardes; akin to Old Saxon and Old Frisian -ward. Old High German -wert, German -wärts, Icelandic -verðr, Gothic -vaírþs, Latin vertere to turn, versus toward, and English worth to become. See wort, intransitive verb, and compare verse.

Pronunciation

IPA: /wə(r)d/

Suffix

-ward

Forming adverbs denoting course or direction to, or motion or tendency toward, as in "backward", "toward", "forward", etc.
Forming adjectives, as in "a backward look", "the northward road", etc; used even by speakers who usually use -wards for adverbs.

Derived terms

English words suffixed with -ward

Usage notes

The choice between -ward and -wards is individual or dialectal; both are widely used.
Adverbs ending in -wards (Anglo-Saxon -weardes) and some other adverbs, such as besides, betimes, since Old English sithens, etc., originated as genitive forms used adverbially.
The adjectives toward (initial stress) and forward have meanings not predictable from the meaning of -ward.
Awkward has retained the form but lost much of the sense in its use of this suffix.