Etymograph

English

afterward

Afterward comes from Middle English afterward ‘Afterwards, later, then’, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘away, off, from’, and ultimately from *h₂ep.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ep1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epó2‘away, off, from’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*after3‘after, behind’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150æfter4‘after’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150æfterweard5
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afterward5‘Afterwards, later, then’
  7. Englishtodayafterward5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *after
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English æfter
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English æfterweard
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English afterward

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂epóreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epóWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *after‘away, off, from’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*afterWiktionary, Old English æfter‘after, behind’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150æfterWiktionary, Old English æfterweard‘after’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150æfterweardWiktionary, English afterward
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afterwardWiktionary, English afterward‘Afterwards, later, then’
  7. EnglishtodayafterwardWiktionary, English afterward

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘away, off, from’

of, off, abdomen, overt, 4 more

Today it means

adv —

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “afterward”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó, Proto-Germanic *after, Old English æfter, Old English æfterweard. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep / afterward

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