Etymologically
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somehow

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsʌm.haʊ/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English some + how.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the phrase somehow or other: 1664 in the OED and MWU, the 1660s in Etymonline, where it is first attested.[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

Used alone, in some way not known or not stated, it is from 1740–1742.[3] Before it, English used someway and someways, from Middle English someswaies (about 1200).[2] In Lancashire and Leicestershire dialect, to feel somehow meant to feel unwell in an indefinite way.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – the earlier someways.[2]
  • 1664 – somehow or other.[3][4]
  • 1740–42 – somehow alone.[3]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. In some way that is not known or not stated.
  2. For some reason that is not clear: somehow I don't trust him.

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 d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ 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)