English

often

/ˈɒfən/
Frequently; many times on different occasions.

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    Origin

    From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”).

    Cognates

    Cognate with Scots affen, aften, af'en, oaffen, oaften, oftin (“often”), North Frisian aaft, oftem, oofting (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German, Luxembourgish and Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Yiddish אָפֿט (oft, “often”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Faroese, Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta, “often”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishoften
      • inheritedMiddle Englishofte
        • inheritedOld Englishoft “often”
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*ufta

    Related: Middle English selden, Scots affen, North Frisian aaft, Saterland Frisian oafte, Pennsylvania German oft, Yiddish אָפֿט, Norwegian Nynorsk ofte, Swedish ofta, Icelandic oft, Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰

    Sources