Etymograph

English

away

Away comes from Old English āweġ, originally on weġ ‘on one’s way’, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz ‘way’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring, transport’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-1‘to bring, transport’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wegaz1‘way’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150on weġ1‘on one's way’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150āweġ1‘away’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500away1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1921away1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English away
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs.…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-Wiktionary, English away‘to bring, transport’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wegazWiktionary, English away‘way’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150on weġWiktionary, English away‘on one's way’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150āweġWiktionary, English away‘away’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500awayWiktionary, English away
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1921awayWiktionary, English away. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs.…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-

Today it means

adv From a place, hence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “away”. 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 *weǵʰ- / away

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