ahead

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈhed/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English a- (“on”) + head (“front”),^[2][3][4] originally a nautical term, the opposite of astern.^[2][5] An earlier form was on head, from the 16th century.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

1568 according to Merriam-Webster;^[3] the OED's first quotation, “in a position pointing forward”, is from 1596,^[6] and Etymonline dates “at the head, in front” to the 1620s (1628).^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

“Forward, onward”, the sense in go ahead, is from the 1640s;^[2] the OED records “headlong, at a rapid pace” from 1643 and plain forward motion from 1762.^[6] Ahead of, “in front of”, is from 1748, and of time, “in advance of, before”, as in ahead of one's time, from 1901.^[6] The adjective go-ahead is from 1846.^[6] SOED notes that the word, once nautical, is now used figuratively in all its senses.^[5][6] In Devon dialect ahead meant “overhead”.^[7]

Timeline

• 1568 – first known use (Merriam-Webster).^[3]
• 1596 – pointing forward.^[6]
• 1628 – at the head, in front.^[6]
• 1640s – forward, onward.^[2]
• 1748 – ahead of.^[6]
• 1846 – go-ahead.^[6]
• 1901 – ahead in time.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. In front; at or to the front.
2. Forward; onward: go ahead.
3. In or into the future: plan ahead.
4. In advance; earlier.
5. In a leading position: pulled ahead.

Word family

• go-ahead

Related words

• ahead of
• head
• abreast
• astern
• aboard

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)