Etymologically
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against

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈɡen(t)st/, /əˈɡeɪn(t)st/ (UK); /əˈɡentst/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English agenes (“in opposition to”), againes,[2][3][4] formed from Middle English agen (“again”) + -es (“adverbial genitive ending”) (see again),[2][5][6] the first part being inherited from Old English ongeagn (“opposite”).[3][2] Etymonline describes agenes as originally a southern variant of the preposition agan.[6] The final -t is not etymological: forms in -st began to appear about 1300 and became standard by the early 16th century,[7][6] probably by association with superlatives ending in -st, as also in amongst, amidst, whilst and betwixt.[5][7][8] The Middle English Dictionary, quoted by Barnhart, takes the -st forms to be abstracted from the sequence ‘agen(e)s the’,[7] and Merriam-Webster likewise suggests partial assimilation to a following article.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In opposition to, hostile to; also in the opposite direction, in contact with, in front of (probably before 1160).[2][6][9]

Semantic evolution

Old English already used the preposition ongeagn in the sense “contrary to, not in keeping with”, which against continues.[9] By the late 12th century it also meant “in anticipation of, in preparation for” and “directly opposite, facing”, the latter now surviving only in over against;[9][10] by about 1225 it meant “in exchange for”.[9] Some medieval senses have died out: “in the presence of” (until about 1530), “with respect to” (until the 18th century) and “exposed to” the sun or cold (into the 19th century).[9][10] Later senses include “in contact with, supported by” (1447), “in competition with” (1591), the betting use “in expectation of the failure of” (1655) and “having as a background” (1805).[9] As a conjunction, “against the time that”, hence “before”, it is recorded from the 14th century and is now archaic or regional,[6][4][9] as in Dickens's “throw on another log of wood against father comes home”.[11] In American slang up against a drug meant addicted to it, from 1892.[12]

Timeline

  • c. 1160 – agenes, in opposition to.[2]
  • c. 1175 – in preparation for; facing.[9][10]
  • c. 1225 – in exchange for.[9]
  • c. 1300 – forms with final -t begin to appear.[7]
  • 14th century – as a conjunction, before the time that.[11][9]
  • 1447 – in contact with, leaning on.[9]
  • early 16th century – against becomes the standard form.[6]
  • 1591 – in competition with.[9]
  • 1655 – in betting, expecting the failure of.[9]
  • 1805 – having as a background.[9]
  • 1843 – as a noun, those who vote against.[9]

Modern meaning

Preposition

  1. In opposition or hostility to: fought against the legislation.
  2. Contrary to: against the law.
  3. In competition with.
  4. In the opposite direction to: row against the current.
  5. So as to strike or press on; in contact with: leaned against the tree.
  6. In contrast with, or having as a background: dark against the sky.
  7. In preparation for, or as a protection from: a shelter against the cold.
  8. Charged to an account, so as to reduce or secure a debt.
  9. (betting) In expectation of the failure of: odds of 5 to 1 against.
  10. Directly opposite; facing, now chiefly in over against.

Conjunction

  1. (archaic or regional) Before; in readiness for the time when.

Word family

  • thereagainst
  • crime against humanity
  • crime against nature
  • over against
  • again
  • amongst
  • amidst
  • whilst
  • betwixt

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  10. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  12. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com