English

turn out

To end up; to result.

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    Origin

    From Middle English turnen out, tornen out, equivalent to turn + out.

    The slang and prison terms meaning "to turn into a prostitute, etc." are probably an ellipsis for turn (inside) out (“to flip someone's character or role”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishturnen out
    • surface analysisEnglishturn “To move about an axis through itself.”
    • surface analysisEnglishout “Away from the inside or centre.”

    Sources