Old English edit

Etymology edit

From tōweard +‎ -nes.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈtoːˌwæ͜ɑrd.nes/, [ˈtoːˌwæ͜ɑrˠd.nes]

Noun edit

tōweardnes f

  1. the future

Usage notes edit

Tōweardnes was generally used without a definite article: Hwā wāt hwæt tōweardnes bringþ? (“Who knows what the future will bring?”), Iċ cume of tōweardnesse (“I come from the future”), Iċ wæs þǣr. On tōweardnesse. Nān þing næs tō lāfe (“I was there. In the future. Nothing was left”). As you might expect, this rule does not apply when referring to a particular future: Sēo tōweardnes þe þū wilt is unġelīc þǣre tōweardnesse þe iċ wille (“The future that you want is different from the future that I want”). Forþġewitennes (“the past”) and andweardnes (the present) work the same way.

Declension edit