English word origin

Etymology of as

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 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 1

Original entry ↗

conj

In the (same) way or manner that; to the (same) degree that. · Used after so or as to introduce a comparison. · Used to introduce a result: with the result that it is; as to. · Expressing concession: though.

prep

Introducing a basis of comparison, with an object in the objective case. · In the role of. · In the form of.

adv

To such an extent or degree; to the same extent or degree. · Considered to be, in relation to something else; in the relation (specified). · For example; for instance. (Compare such as.)

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-West Germanic *all Proto-Indo-European *swéder.? Proto-Germanic *swa Proto-West Germanic *swā Proto-West Germanic *allswā Old English eallswā Middle English also Middle English as English as From Middle English as, als(a), alswa, from Old English eallswā (“just so; as”), thus representing a reduced form of also. Compare German Low German a(l)s, German als, Dutch als.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*h₂el-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionasenm
Inherited-form mentioneallswāang
Cognate mentionalsde
Cognate mentionalsnl

This page abbreviates 8 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:as<id:also>",
        "id": "also",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?\nProto-Indo-European *h₂elnós\nProto-Germanic *allaz\nProto-West Germanic *all\nProto-Indo-European *swéder.?\nProto-Germanic *swa\nProto-West Germanic *swā\nProto-West Germanic *allswā\nOld English eallswā\nMiddle English also\nMiddle English as\nEnglish as\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"all\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂el-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂elnós\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*allaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*all\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"so\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*swé\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*swa\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*swā\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*allswā\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"gmw-pro\", \"2\" : \":inh\", \"3\" : \"gem-pro:*allaz\", \"id\" : \"allaz\", \"text\" : \"+\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*all\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"eall\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"swā\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"afeq\", \"is_invisible\" : \"all\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"eallswā\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"also\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"as\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"as\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"also\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"as\" id=\"English:_also\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂el-",
        "id": "all"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "swé"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "as",
        "4": "as, als(a), alswa"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English as, als(a), alswa"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "eallswā",
        "4": "",
        "5": "just so; as"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English eallswā (“just so; as”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "also",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "also"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "a(l)s"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German a(l)s"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "als"
      },
      "expansion": "German als"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "als"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch als"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:as<id:also>",
        "id": "also",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?\nProto-Indo-European *h₂elnós\nProto-Germanic *allaz\nProto-West Germanic *all\nProto-Indo-European *swéder.?\nProto-Germanic *swa\nProto-West Germanic *swā\nProto-West Germanic *allswā\nOld English eallswā\nMiddle English also\nMiddle English as\nEnglish as"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂el-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂el-#Proto-Indo-European:_all"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂elnós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂elnós"
    ],
    [
      "*allaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/allaz"
    ],
    [
      "*all",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/all"
    ],
    [
      "*swé",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/swé"
    ],
    [
      "*swa",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swa"
    ],
    [
      "*swā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swā#Proto-West_Germanic:_so"
    ],
    [
      "*allswā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/allswā"
    ],
    [
      "eallswā",
      "eallswa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "also",
      "also#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "as",
      "as#Middle_English:_also"
    ],
    [
      "as, als(a), alswa",
      "as#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eallswā",
      "eallswa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "also",
      "also#English"
    ],
    [
      "a(l)s",
      "a(l)s#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "als",
      "als#German"
    ],
    [
      "als",
      "als#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "conj",
      "glosses": [
        "In the (same) way or manner that; to the (same) degree that.",
        "Used after so or as to introduce a comparison.",
        "Used to introduce a result: with the result that it is; as to.",
        "Expressing concession: though."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "39da23ee668b6717851e628b25163fe35245e64dee121d9a5ab6a08e876cb20a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d5ca0aee409bf3ddad8a31b0b50da39e04717bfef830ac3a352ee2b33397d41f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17391
    },
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Introducing a basis of comparison, with an object in the objective case.",
        "In the role of.",
        "In the form of."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "436b5e2c93101200d92c11f7286abf1ddcc55366d48ab0cdfba2dd7d9df860fe",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c46c207e7f9fea774552a6e2f0beb39aefc799450047284808d57d51f9a26832",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17392
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "To such an extent or degree; to the same extent or degree.",
        "Considered to be, in relation to something else; in the relation (specified).",
        "For example; for instance. (Compare such as.)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "dated",
        "formal"
      ],
      "recordId": "fce5ee7cf81c23a7b995a60d9f1e8d2d77938250fc53b353dd5b851ac7d5a9a1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b78260c25f89123dedd579a7480978f5a1076c29485e18ca0320d8b455251488",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17390
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 8,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A libra, a Roman pound. · Any of several coins of Rome, coined in bronze or later copper; or the equivalent value.

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

Borrowed from Latin as. Doublet of ace.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionasla
Doublet mentionaceen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "Roman unit"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "as"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin as"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ace"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of ace"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "Roman unit"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "as",
      "as#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ace",
      "ace#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A libra, a Roman pound.",
        "Any of several coins of Rome, coined in bronze or later copper; or the equivalent value."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ancient-Rome"
      ],
      "recordId": "cf90781fda6bdbe5e371f87056387b54a4fb83a70221964b9b9790118f072df7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8a9d7bae0db490ea8e30647ef90d7dd6981d80cff0dce4f6fec9adadbbab4856",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17393
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of a's.

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

From a + -s.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a",
        "4": "-s",
        "id": "a's",
        "nocat": "1",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From a + -s."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a",
        "4": "-s",
        "id": "a's",
        "nocat": "1",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From a + -s."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a",
      "a#English"
    ],
    [
      "-s",
      "-s#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of a's."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "a27eab4373d08f674fcef972425a898161839b66da9861534423ab0e4196dc3d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "502263cde174414866d64a59b4bc1f4c19b90d48186223f6291ac43f9f3701db",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17394
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

adv

Used to intensify an adjective; very much; extremely.

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

Shortening of as hell or as fuck or similar.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "intensifier"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "intensifier"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "as hell",
      "as hell#English"
    ],
    [
      "as fuck",
      "as fuck#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to intensify an adjective; very much; extremely."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "especially",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "0f7f2891d086f678ee7edba106929b649402e7ea80bb2d4ea51106b5614ae888",
      "rawRecordSha256": "30bbc93726c328833a1f5029bae173aa271961b3498a668352d5aeb6ffb09e20",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 17395
    }
  ],
  "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 as →

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-YXM