English word origin

Etymology of eft

From Middle English evete, from Old English efete, of unknown origin.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 ↗

noun

A newt, especially a smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris, syn. Triturus punctatus), of Europe.

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

From Middle English evete, from Old English efete, of unknown origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentioneveteenm
Inherited-form mentionefeteang

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "evete"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English evete"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "efete"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English efete"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "evete",
      "evete#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "efete",
      "efete#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A newt, especially a smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris, syn. Triturus punctatus), of Europe."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adv

Again; afterwards

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

From Middle English eft, from Old English eft, æft, from Proto-West Germanic *afti, from Proto-Germanic *afti. Cognate with Old Saxon eft, aft, eht (“again, afterwards”), Middle Low German echt (“again, afterward”). Compare English after, aft.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentioneftenm
Inherited-form mentioneftang
Inherited-form mention*aftigmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*aftigem-pro
Cognate mentioneftosx
Cognate mentionechtgml · again, afterward

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "eft"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English eft"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "eft"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English eft"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*afti"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *afti"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*afti"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *afti"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osx",
        "2": "eft"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon eft"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "echt",
        "t": "again, afterward"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German echt (“again, afterward”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "after"
      },
      "expansion": "English after"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "eft",
      "eft#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eft",
      "eft#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "æft",
      "æft#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*afti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/afti"
    ],
    [
      "*afti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/afti"
    ],
    [
      "eft",
      "eft#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "aft",
      "aft#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "eht",
      "eht#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "echt",
      "echt#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "after",
      "after#English"
    ],
    [
      "aft",
      "aft#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Again; afterwards"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "obsolete"
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}

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 eft →

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-ZWZ0