Old English edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-West Germanic *tōward. Equivalent to tō- +‎ -weard.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /toːˈwæ͜ɑrd/, [toːˈwæ͜ɑrˠd] (preposition)
  • IPA(key): /ˈtoːˌwæ͜ɑrd/, [ˈtoːˌwæ͜ɑrˠd] (adjective)

Preposition edit

tōweard

  1. toward (with genitive or dative)

Adjective edit

tōweard

  1. future
    Hæfst þū mīn tōwearde wīf ġemētt?
    Have you met my future wife?
    • c. 995, Ælfric,Extracts on Grammar in English
      Þrēo tīda sind on ǣlcum worde: andweard tīd, forðġewiten tīd, and tōweard tīd.
      There are three tenses for each verb: present tense, past tense, and future tense.
  2. coming; impending, approaching
    tōwearda winter
    the coming winter
    • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
      Swā-swā scypes [hlāford], þonne þæt scyp unge-tǣlicost on ancre rīt and sēo sǣ hrēohost byð, ðonne wōt hē ġewiss smelte wedere tōwæard.
      So the ship's master, when the ship rideth most unsteadily at anchor and the sea is roughest, then knoweth of a truth that calm weather is coming.
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year
      Menn magon cēpan be þæs mōnan blēo hwelċ weder tōweard biþ.
      People can observe from the color of the moon what kind of weather is coming.
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Apostles Simon and Jude"
      Hīe ġewunodon on ġehwelcre byrġ oþ þæt hīe ġeāscodon þā apostolas tōwearde.
      They stopped in every town until they heard that the apostles were on the way there.
    • c. 900, The Consolation of Philosophy
      Þēah hē nū nāwiht elles næbbe ymb tō sorgienne, þæt him mæġ tō sorge þæt hē nāt hwæt him tōweard biþ.
      Even if right now he has nothing else to worry about, it can still bother him that he doesn’t know what's in store for his future.

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Middle English: toward