from (English)

Where does "from" come from?

The English preposition 'from' traces its lineage through Middle English 'from'[1] and Old English 'from'[1], descending from Proto-West Germanic '*fram'[1]. This further roots in Proto-Germanic '*fram', which meant 'forward, from, away'[1] and 'forward, prominent'[3]. Ultimately, this Germanic root stretches back to Proto-Indo-European forms such as '*promo-' meaning 'front, forth'[3] and '*pro-' meaning 'forth, forward'[4]. Across its ancient history, the underlying sense shifted from physical forward movement and prominence toward directional source and separation.

Open questions

• The intermediate Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic ancestral forms are linguistic reconstructions not directly attested in writing. [1]
• The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root is reconstructed with slightly varying alternative forms across the sources, including '*promo-' and '*prom-'. [3] [6]

Full etymology tree

• from (English), 'Used to indicate source or provenance.'
  • inherited from (Middle English), 'from'
    • derived from (Old English), 'bold, firm, resolute'
      • inherited *fram (Proto-Germanic), 'from'
        • derived *promo- (Proto-Indo-European)
          • derived *pro- (Proto-Indo-European), 'toward, forward'
    • borrowed frá (Old Norse), 'from, away from, about'
      • inherited *fram (Proto-Germanic), 'from'
        • derived *promo- (Proto-Indo-European)
          • derived *pro- (Proto-Indo-European), 'toward, forward'

Ancestors

• from (Middle English)
• from (Old English)
• *fram (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

• pre (Albanian)
• fra (Danish)
• frem (Danish)
• frá (Icelandic)
• fram (Icelandic)
• frå (Norwegian Nynorsk)
• fram (Norwegian Nynorsk)
• fram (Swedish)
• från (Swedish)

Descendants and derived words

• home (English)
• abstract away from (English)
• appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober (English)
• A to Z (English)
• A to Z (English)
• away (English)
• away (English)
• away (English)
• away (English)
• away (English)
• bang from the buck (English)
• behind (English)

Sources

1. from (English) - Wiktionary
2. from (Middle English) - Wiktionary
3. from (Old English) - Wiktionary
4. fram (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
5. frá (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
6. fram (Old English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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