English
advantage
Advantage comes from Old French avantage, from avant ‘before’ + -age, from Late Latin ab ante ‘in front of’.
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEab ante1‘in front’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avant1‘before’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avantage1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500avantage1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596advantage1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English advantage
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “And with advantage means to pay thy love.”.
Lineage
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEab anteWiktionary, English advantage‘in front’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avantWiktionary, English advantage‘before’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avantageWiktionary, English advantage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500avantageWiktionary, English advantage
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596advantageWiktionary, English advantage. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “And with advantage means to pay thy love.”
The story
The spelling with d originates in a latinizing hypercorrection, the a- being falsely supposed to be from Latin ad (see advance). For sense development, compare foredeal.
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Today it means
noun Any condition, circumstance, opportunity or means, particularly favorable or chance to success, or to any desired end.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “advantage”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Late Latin ab ante / advantage