*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ever

From Middle English ever, from Old English ǣfre, originally a phrase whose first element undoubtedly consists of Old English ā (“ever, always”) + in (“in”) + an element possibly from feorh (“life, existence”) (dative fēo

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
det

Shortening of every

adj

Occurring at any time, occurring even but once during a timespan.

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

From Middle English ever, from Old English ǣfre, originally a phrase whose first element undoubtedly consists of Old English ā (“ever, always”) + in (“in”) + an element possibly from feorh (“life, existence”) (dative fēore). Compare Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”), Old English feorhlīf (“life”) from feorh (“life”) + līf (“life”). Sense 5 of the adverb was likely formed by association with never, which also carries the meaning of did not in colloquial Singaporean and Malaysian English. Also, compare Chinese 有 … 過 /有 … 过 (yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³, “has […] before”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*h₂ey-ine-pro
  • Root classification mention*perkʷ-ine-pro
  • Derivation mentioneverenm
  • Derivation mentionǣfreang
  • Cognate mentionāang · ever, always
  • Cognate mentionā tō fēoreang · ever in life
  • Cognate mentionfeorhlīfang
  • Word-formation componentfeorhang · life
  • Word-formation componentlīfang · life
  • Semantic-loan mention有 … 過zh · has […] before
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:ever"
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    },
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      "name": "root",
      "args": {
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂ey-",
        "4": "*perkʷ-",
        "id1": "life"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ever"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ever"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ǣfre"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ǣfre"
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      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ā",
        "t": "ever, always"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ā tō fēore",
        "t": "ever in life"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "feorhlīf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "life"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "feorh",
        "3": "līf",
        "t1": "life",
        "t2": "life",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "feorh (“life”) + līf (“life”)"
    },
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      "name": "sl",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "有 … 過",
        "tr": "yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³",
        "notext": "1",
        "t": "has […] before"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 有 … 過 /有 … 过 (yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³, “has […] before”)"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:ever"
      },
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    }
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    ],
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      "ǣfre",
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    ],
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      "ā",
      "a/languages M to Z#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "in",
      "in#Old_English"
    ],
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      "fēore",
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    ],
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      "ā tō fēore",
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    ],
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      "feorhlīf",
      "feorhlif#Old_English"
    ],
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      "feorh",
      "feorh#Old_English"
    ],
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      "līf",
      "lif#Old_English"
    ],
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      "never",
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    ],
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      "有",
      "有#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "過",
      "過#Chinese"
    ],
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      "有",
      "有#Chinese"
    ],
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      "过",
      "过#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "Shortening of every"
      ],
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        "informal"
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        "Occurring at any time, occurring even but once during a timespan."
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        "not-comparable"
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
adv

Always, frequently, forever. · Continuously, constantly, all the time (for the complete duration). · At any time. · As intensifier following an interrogative word.

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

From Middle English ever, from Old English ǣfre, originally a phrase whose first element undoubtedly consists of Old English ā (“ever, always”) + in (“in”) + an element possibly from feorh (“life, existence”) (dative fēore). Compare Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”), Old English feorhlīf (“life”) from feorh (“life”) + līf (“life”). Sense 5 of the adverb was likely formed by association with never, which also carries the meaning of did not in colloquial Singaporean and Malaysian English. Also, compare Chinese 有 … 過 /有 … 过 (yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³, “has […] before”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*h₂ey-ine-pro
  • Root classification mention*perkʷ-ine-pro
  • Derivation mentioneverenm
  • Derivation mentionǣfreang
  • Cognate mentionāang · ever, always
  • Cognate mentionā tō fēoreang · ever in life
  • Cognate mentionfeorhlīfang
  • Word-formation componentfeorhang · life
  • Word-formation componentlīfang · life
  • Semantic-loan mention有 … 過zh · has […] before

This page abbreviates 1 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.

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:ever"
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      "args": {
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        "3": "*h₂ey-",
        "4": "*perkʷ-",
        "id1": "life"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "ever"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ever"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ǣfre"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ǣfre"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ā",
        "t": "ever, always"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ā (“ever, always”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ā tō fēore",
        "t": "ever in life"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "feorhlīf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "life"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English feorhlīf (“life”)"
    },
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      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "feorh",
        "3": "līf",
        "t1": "life",
        "t2": "life",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "feorh (“life”) + līf (“life”)"
    },
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      "name": "sl",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "有 … 過",
        "tr": "yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³",
        "notext": "1",
        "t": "has […] before"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 有 … 過 /有 … 过 (yǒu ... guò / jau⁵ ... gwo³, “has […] before”)"
    },
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      "name": "etymon",
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      "līf",
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    ],
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      "never",
      "never#English"
    ],
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      "有",
      "有#Chinese"
    ],
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      "過",
      "過#Chinese"
    ],
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      "有",
      "有#Chinese"
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      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "ever",
      "raw_tags": [
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      "pos": "adv",
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        "Always, frequently, forever.",
        "Continuously, constantly, all the time (for the complete duration).",
        "At any time.",
        "As intensifier following an interrogative word."
      ],
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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 ever →

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-ZXZlcg