*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of onto

From on + to, after into. Compare Saterland Frisian antou (“up to”).

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

Arriving upon or on top of (speaking of a physical or metaphorical movement). · Aware of. · Being an onto function with a codomain of (see below).

adj

Attaining each of the values in its codomain; having its image equal to its codomain.

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

From on + to, after into. Compare Saterland Frisian antou (“up to”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Word-formation componentonen
  • Word-formation componenttoen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "on",
        "3": "to"
      },
      "expansion": "on + to"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "antou",
        "t": "up to"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian antou (“up to”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "on",
      "on#English"
    ],
    [
      "to",
      "to#English"
    ],
    [
      "into",
      "into#English"
    ],
    [
      "antou",
      "antou#Saterland_Frisian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Arriving upon or on top of (speaking of a physical or metaphorical movement).",
        "Aware of.",
        "Being an onto function with a codomain of (see below)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "6599e660cdcc4b0488c15740609a2e5bbfaf14b808dacb30dc46beaaff4609e4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8e3034d83dcc78a6e3ec5122d1534528f2c08a1f605a35ba59c5040d384f4b24",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 262754
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Attaining each of the values in its codomain; having its image equal to its codomain."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "aaed400f4d963d40b0622ca1c84209791a302d337fe89949153d64cfccd8c549",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a77a75ddaf5fbf91aa12cc7208992554a69b186a9e21d24c3455404cbef3a1a5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 262755
    }
  ],
  "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 onto →

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-b250bw