out (English)

Where does "out" come from?

The English word 'out' descends from Middle English 'out', which combined Old English 'ūt' and 'ūte'[1][7]. These Old English terms trace back through Proto-West Germanic to Proto-Germanic forms meaning 'out' and 'out; outside'[1], specifically '*ūt' and '*ūtai'[1][4][5]. Ultimately, these Germanic roots derive from Proto-Indo-European '*úd', meaning 'upwards, away' or 'out, outward'[1][4].

Full etymology tree

out (English), 'Not inside or within a place, especially a place that someone or something was formerly inside or is customarily inside'
- inherited out (Middle English), 'alternative form of oute'
  - blend ut (Old English), 'out'
    - inherited *ūt (Proto-West Germanic), 'out, outward'
      - inherited *ūt (Proto-Germanic), 'out, outward'
        inherited *úd (Proto-Indo-European), 'upwards, away, out, outward'
  - blend ute (Old English), 'outside, outdoors'
    - inherited *ūtē (Proto-West Germanic)
      - inherited *ūtai (Proto-Germanic), 'outside, without'
        suffix *ūt (Proto-Germanic), 'out, outward'
        inherited *úd (Proto-Indo-European), 'upwards, away, out, outward'
        suffix *-ai (Proto-Germanic), 'Forms the dative singulars of a-stem nouns.'

Ancestors

out (Middle English)
ut (Old English)
*ūt (Proto-West Germanic)
*ūt (Proto-Germanic)
ute (Old English)
*ūtai (Proto-Germanic)
*úd (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

aus (Cimbrian)
ud (Danish)
uit (Dutch)
‐ (German)
𐌿𐍄 (Gothic)
út (Icelandic)
aus (Luxembourgish)
üt (North Frisian)
uut (Saterland Frisian)
oot (Scots)
ut (Swedish)
út (West Frisian)

Related words

Sources

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris