English word origin

Etymology of als

From Middle English als, variant of alse, alsa, also, from Old English eallswā, from Proto-West Germanic *allswā. More at also.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adv

Obsolete form of also.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English als, variant of alse, alsa, also, from Old English eallswā, from Proto-West Germanic *allswā. More at also.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionalsenm
Inherited-form mentioneallswāang
Inherited-form mention*allswāgmw-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "als"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English als"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "eallswā"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English eallswā"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*allswā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *allswā"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "als",
      "als#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "alse",
      "alse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "alsa",
      "alsa#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "also",
      "also#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eallswā",
      "eallswa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*allswā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/allswā"
    ],
    [
      "also",
      "also#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete form of also."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "not-comparable",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "2cf9461073da8196ad5697a682ee4404456dbbf476a64c415f069de94d806168",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3c73c21e84ceccc960940fc9718fbbacef5a3999d6dd3bebd4795b46f4ea5832",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 320336
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for als →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWxz