*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of to-

From Middle English to-, from Old English tō-, te- (“apart, away”), from Proto-West Germanic *tō-, *tuʀ-, *twiʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *twiz- (“apart, in two”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“two-ways, in twain”).

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 ↗
prefix

Parting: forming verbs that involve cleaving, breaking, or sundering. · To do excessively. · Completely. · Moving.

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

From Middle English to-, from Old English tō-, te- (“apart, away”), from Proto-West Germanic *tō-, *tuʀ-, *twiʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *twiz- (“apart, in two”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“two-ways, in twain”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionto-enm
  • Inherited-form mentiontō-ang
  • Inherited-form mention*tō-gmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*twiz-gem-pro · apart, in two
  • Inherited-form mention*dwísine-pro · two-ways, in twain
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": "to-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English to-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tō-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tō-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*tō-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *tō-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*twiz-",
        "t": "apart, in two"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *twiz- (“apart, in two”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dwís",
        "t": "two-ways, in twain"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“two-ways, in twain”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "to-",
      "to-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tō-",
      "to-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "te-",
      "te-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*tō-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tō-"
    ],
    [
      "*tuʀ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tuʀ-"
    ],
    [
      "*twiʀ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/twiʀ-"
    ],
    [
      "*twiz-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/twiz-"
    ],
    [
      "*dwís",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwís"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Parting: forming verbs that involve cleaving, breaking, or sundering.",
        "To do excessively.",
        "Completely.",
        "Moving."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "a22fa9f5553a418670bf4e042386dd4db5eb4c59bd68bf2242d4f9ca2ff8aebb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d34f926b58b0dfc191fb4b13171187a122289d83dfaf2946b9e9ee156eeffb60",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 493374
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
prefix

Current, the current form of the suffixed time. Forming nouns. · On (this) time, which is a fixed point in time. Forming adverbs. · During the suffixed time. Forming adverbs. · Of, as characteristic of the suffixed time period. Forming adverbs and adjectives.

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

From to.

This page abbreviates 3 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": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "to",
      "to#Preposition"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Current, the current form of the suffixed time. Forming nouns.",
        "On (this) time, which is a fixed point in time. Forming adverbs.",
        "During the suffixed time. Forming adverbs.",
        "Of, as characteristic of the suffixed time period. Forming adverbs and adjectives."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "0ef1ac22fd51c3a16075be201bff2bf0377b39a91f8c7e44d70b76089f708f8d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ec8552c799982849913c3adef0fc55292ef068ecaed511a482644a9372025fe6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 493375
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "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 to- →

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-dG8t