Etymograph

English

forever

Forever is a univerbation of for ever, from Middle English for ever.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500for ever1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1839forever1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English forever
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy: “Secondly, When a body is once in motion it…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500for everWiktionary, English forever
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1839foreverWiktionary, English forever. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy: “Secondly, When a body is once in motion it…”

first attested First attested in the late 14c. (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested in the late 14c., and first attested in the late 17c. as one word. Noun first attested in 1858.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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Today it means

adv For all time, for all eternity; for a lifetime; for an infinite amount of time.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “forever”. 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 / Middle English for ever / forever