Etymograph

English

every

Every comes from Middle English every, everich, from Old English ǣfre ǣlċ ‘each and every’ (literally ‘ever each’).

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣfre ǣlċ1‘each and every’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500every1‘every, each’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1892every1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English every
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Walter Besant, New York: “At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣfre ǣlċWiktionary, English every‘each and every’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500everyWiktionary, English every‘every, each’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1892everyWiktionary, English every. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Walter Besant, New York: “At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour…”

Equivalent to ever + each

Old English ǣfre

Middle English ever

English ever

Old English ǣġhwelċ ‘each, every’

Old English ǣlċ ‘each, every’

Middle English ech

English each

Every English word from Old English ǣfre ǣlċ

Today it means

det All of a countable group (considered individually), without exception.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “every”. 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 ǣfre ǣlċ / every

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