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somewhat

Etymology and origin of the English word somewhat

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1200

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈsʌm.wɒt/, US /ˈsʌm.wɑːt/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of some and what.[2][3][4] It replaced Old English sumdǣl, sume dǣle “some portion”, literally “some deal”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A certain amount, especially of information: about 1200 in the OED;[5] the adverb, in a certain amount, to some degree: about 1200 in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, something not specified is from the early 13th century,[2][5] and some part or portion of something, with a dependent genitive, from 1297.[5] The pronoun use, meaning “something”, is now archaic.[4][6] The adverb, to some extent, rather, is the main modern use,[6][7] and colloquial more than somewhat, very much, is later.[4] In dialects of Scotland and England it is pronounced somat or summat.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – a certain amount; adverb.[5][2]
  • early 13th century – something.[2]
  • 1297 – a part of something.[5]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. To some extent or degree; rather or slightly.

Pronoun

  1. (archaic) Something: somewhat of a scholar.

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 e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  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. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ 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)
Cite this entry

“Somewhat.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/somewhat. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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