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forever

Etymology and origin of the English word forever

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
late 14th century
Ultimate origin
English (for,ever)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English ever
English forever
English however

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /fəˈrev.ə/, US /fɔːrˈev.ɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English for ever,[2][3] from English for + ever.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

For all time: the late 14th century in Etymonline,[3] before 1375 in Barnhart,[4] written separately.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

It was often written as one word from the late 17th century,[3] the OED's first example of forever being from 1670.[5][4] The noun, “eternity” or a seemingly endless time, is from 1858.[5][3][2] The emphatic forevermore is from 1819 in Etymonline[3] or 1837 in the OED.[5] In Lake District dialect forever meant “too much”.[6] British usage still often writes it separately.[7]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – for ever.[3]
  • 1670 – written as one word.[5][4]
  • 1819 – forevermore.[3]
  • 1858 – noun, eternity.[5][3]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. For all time; eternally.
  2. At all times; continually: forever complaining.

Noun

  1. A very long time, or one that seems so.

Word family

  • foreverness
  • forevermore
  • live-forever

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 h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ 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)
  7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Forever.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/forever. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·