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outlast

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Etymology and origin of the English word outlast

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1570 Tusser, Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandry More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
Old English lǣstan
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English last
English outlast

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌaʊtˈlɑːst/[1]
  • US: /ˌaʊtˈlæst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English out- + last, "to endure".[2][3][4][5] The verb last is from Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan (“to follow; to perform; to continue, last”),[3][6] from Proto-Germanic *laistjan (“to follow a track”),[3] which is related to the shoemaker's last, but not to the adjective meaning final.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To last longer than, to exceed in duration: 1570, in Tusser's Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandry (new edition).[2] The 1989 edition of the OED dated it to 1573, Etymonline gives the 1570s,[7][3] and Dictionary.com 1565–75.[8]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has hardly changed since the 16th century.[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as "to surpass in duration", with examples from Bacon (candles that outlast others), Milton and Waller ("shall outlast the sun").[5] It is now often used of customs or things that survive their purpose, as in to outlast one's usefulness.[4]

Timeline

  • 1570 – to last longer than, to survive.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To last longer than; to survive or outlive: The old oak outlasted every house on the street.[4][9][2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Outlast.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/outlast. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·