-ward

English

/wəd/, /wɚd/, /wɔːd/, /wɔɹd/

suffix
Definitions
  • Forming adverbs denoting course or direction to, or motion or tendency toward, as in "backward", "toward", "forward", etc.
  • Forming adjectives, as in "a backward look", "the northward road", etc; used even by speakers who usually use -wards for adverbs.

Etymology

Inherited from Old English -weard inherited from Proto-Germanic *wardaz (turned toward, turned, in the direction of, facing) root from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (turn, rotate, wind, spin, twist, become, bend, turn out).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*wert-

Gloss

turn, rotate, wind, spin, twist, become, bend, turn out

Concept
Semantic Field

Motion

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

風

Emoji
🙃

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms