Etymograph

English

past

Past comes from Middle English passed, past participle of passen ‘to pass, to go by’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500passen1‘to pass, to go by’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500passed1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1632past1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English past
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1632, John Vicars: “Great Tuscane dames, as she their towns past by,…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500passenWiktionary, English past‘to pass, to go by’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500passedWiktionary, English past
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1632pastWiktionary, English past. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1632, John Vicars: “Great Tuscane dames, as she their towns past by,…”

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Today it means

noun The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “past”. 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 passen / past