apart

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /əˈpɑːt/, US /əˈpɑːrt/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English apart,^[2] borrowed from Old French a part (“to the side”),^[3][4][5] from Latin ad (“to”) and partem, accusative of pars (“part, side”),^[3][4][2] from Proto-Indo-European *pere- (“to grant, allot”).^[3] The first element was probably felt in English as the a- of abroad and ahead.^[3] It is related to part.^[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To one side, aside: before 1325, in Cursor Mundi,^[4] and the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[3] The OED's first examples are about 1380, of motion, and 1393, of position.^[7]

Semantic evolution

“Away from each other, separately; in pieces” is from 1399.^[7] “Separately, independently”, of action or function, is from about 1400.^[7] The figurative sense “aside, out of consideration”, as in to set apart or joking apart, is from 1477,^[7] and setting aside for a special purpose from 1604.^[7] As an adjective, “separate, distinct”, it is from 1786.^[3][7] Apart from, “except for”, is a later use.^[8][9]

Timeline

• before 1325 – to one side.^[4]
• 1399 – away from each other; in pieces.^[7]
• c. 1400 – separately, independently.^[7]
• 1477 – aside, out of consideration.^[7]
• 1604 – set aside for a purpose.^[7]
• 1786 – adjective, separate.^[3][7]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. At a distance in place or time: two miles apart.
2. Into pieces: to fall apart.
3. Aside or in reserve, for a particular purpose.
4. Separately; as a distinct thing: viewed apart.
5. apart from: except for; besides.

Adjective

1. Separate; isolated: a world apart.

Word family

• apartness
• apart from

Related words

• part
• apartment
• party
• particle
• aside

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 Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ 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
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster