forever
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:57. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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
- For all time; eternally.
- At all times; continually: forever complaining.
Noun
- A very long time, or one that seems so.
Word family
- foreverness
- forevermore
- live-forever
Related words
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ 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)
- ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press