albeit

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɔːlˈbiː.ɪt/^[1]

Etymology

It is a contraction of the Middle English phrase al be it (“although it be (that)”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from all, used as an adverb, the subjunctive be and it.^[4][5] The first meaning was “let it entirely be (that)”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Before 1325, in Cursor Mundi, in Barnhart;^[2] the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[3] The OED's past-tense form, al were it, even though it were, is from about 1374, as in Chaucer.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

Used without a following that, even though, it is from about 1385,^[7] and in a contracted clause, as in albeit in an edited form, from 1795.^[7] Its relative howbeit is formed the same way.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1325 – al be it.^[2]
• c. 1374 – al were it (obsolete).^[7]
• c. 1385 – albeit, though.^[7]
• 1795 – albeit with a phrase.^[7]

Modern meaning

Conjunction

1. Even though; although: published, albeit in an edited form.

Related words

• howbeit
• sobeit
• although

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 Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press