Etymograph

English

beyond

Beyond comes from Middle English biyonde, from Old English beġeondan ‘beyond’, from be- + ġeond ‘through, throughout’.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġeond1‘through, throughout’
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150beġeondan1‘beyond’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500biyonde1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1879beyond1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English beyond
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Richard Jefferies, London: Smith: “Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġeondWiktionary, English beyond‘through, throughout’
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150beġeondanWiktionary, English beyond‘beyond’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500biyondeWiktionary, English beyond
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1879beyondWiktionary, English beyond. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Richard Jefferies, London: Smith: “Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded…”

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Today it means

prep Further away than.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “beyond”. 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 / Old English ġeond / beyond