*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of into

From Middle English in-to, from Old English intō, equivalent to in + to. Cognate with Scots intae.

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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prep

To or towards the inside of. · To or towards the region of. · To the condition or state. · Against, especially with force or violence.

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

From Middle English in-to, from Old English intō, equivalent to in + to. Cognate with Scots intae.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionin-toenm
  • Inherited-form mentionintōang
  • Compound componentinen
  • Compound componenttoen
  • Cognate mentionintaesco

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "in-to"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English in-to"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "intō"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English intō"
    },
    {
      "name": "compound",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "in",
        "3": "to"
      },
      "expansion": "in + to"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "intae"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots intae"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "in-to",
      "in-to#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "intō",
      "into#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "in",
      "in#English"
    ],
    [
      "to",
      "to#English"
    ],
    [
      "intae",
      "intae#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "To or towards the inside of.",
        "To or towards the region of.",
        "To the condition or state.",
        "Against, especially with force or violence."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "92a9018fb2b004c56d2b48348c0f77347fb5b9b4635b5f54b21baea93c25dd5b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b92fc7a17d7c12081073589fba09f636d808c60338ef746796513bb0cd565539",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 195937
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 8,
    "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 into →

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-aW50bw