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thereafter

Etymology and origin of the English word thereafter

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 897
From
Old English þǣr æfter
Ultimate origin
Old English (þǣr æfter)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌðeəˈrɑːf.tə/, US /ˌðerˈæf.tɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English þǣr æfter,[2][3] from þǣr, there, and æfter, after;[2][3] compare Dutch daarachter and Swedish därefter.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

After that in time or sequence, subsequently: about 897.[4]

Semantic evolution

After that in place is from about 1000, now obsolete.[4] Accordingly, in conformity with that (thereafter as), is from about 1175,[4] and with verbs of longing, such as yearn thereafter, from about 1200.[4] As a quasi-adjective, subsequent, it is from 1830.[4] Thereafterward was a variant.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 897 – after that.[4]
  • c. 1175 – accordingly.[4]
  • 1830 – subsequent (quasi-adjective).[4]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. From that time on; after that.

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 Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • knock · also from Old English
  • twelve · also from Old English
  • tear · also from Old English
  • stretch · also from Old English
  • flood · also from Old English
  • reader · also from Old English
  • swing · also from Old English
  • twin · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Thereafter.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/thereafter. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·