-ward. World English Historical Dictionary

suffix, OE. -weard, primarily forming adjs., with the sense ‘having a specified direction,’ corresponds to OFris. -ward, OS. -ward, -werd, OHG., MHG. -wart (as in heimwart adj., homeward):—OTeut. *-warðo-, f. *warð- abl.-var. of *werþ- :—pre-Teut. *wert- to turn (= L. vertĕre); in the suffix the primary sense of the root is preserved, though the strong verb *werþan has only the derived sense ‘to become’ (see WORTH v.); cf. the L. -versus (a ppl. formation from the same root), which in sense coincides with OTeut. *-warðo-. Two other suffixes precisely identical in function with *-warðo-, but representing different grades of the root, are the following: OTeut. *-werþo-, in Goth. -wairþ-s, ON. -verð-r, OHG. -wert (MHG. and mod.G. only in the adverbial -wärts: cf. -WARDS), OFris. -wirth; and OTeut. *-urðo- in ON. -urð-r, OHG. -ort; neither of these types is found in OE.

Down to the 16th c. the suffix occasionally appears with irregular spellings, as -warde, -werd, -word, -whard; the form -wart in Sc. and northern dialects represents a pronunciation still heard.

1. The suffix was originally appended only to local advs., and in OE. was still confined to this use. The adjs. in -weard usually denoted direction of movement, but many of them could also be used to designate aspect or relative position; in this function they often occur in partitive concord: e.g., foreweard must often be translated ‘front or first part of.’ (With regard to the adjs. originating in mod.E. from advs. in -ward, see 5 below.)

2. The OE. adjs. in -weard, like the corresponding words in the other Teut. langs., admitted of being used adverbially in the accus. (OE. -weard) or in the genitive (OE. -weardes) of the neut. sing. (For the history of the genitival advs. see -WARDS.) The advs. in -weard found in OE. are all (exc. hámweard homeward) advb. forms of adjs. actually recorded in the language, and the first element is always a local adv. (hámweard being not really an exception). On the analogy of the older advs. with this suffix, there were formed in ME. several compounds in which -weard was added to advs., esp. to compound advs. of phrasal origin, as in abackward, adownward, awayward, aboutward, againward, aforeward; the first three of these were soon displaced by the aphetic forms backward, downward, wayward.

3. In OE. the adv. tóweard was used also as a prep., with the sense ‘in the direction leading to.’ In early ME. † fromward acquired a similar prepositional use, and later there are isolated examples of this development of function in some other advs. in -ward (e.g., inward, onward) of which the first element is an adverb-preposition expressing movement.

4. The type of expression represented by the (now obsolete or archaic) forms ‘to heavenward(s,’ ‘to the city ward(s,’ ‘to us-ward,’ and the (wholly obsolete) forms ‘from … ward(s,’ is commonly spoken of as a ‘tmesis’ of the preps. toward(s, † fromward(s. This is convenient as a description of its function, but is not historically correct.

In reality, the practice of attaching the suffix (which thereby assumes more or less the character of a separate adv.) to a phrase consisting of a sb. or pronoun governed by a prep. must be older than the development of the advs. toward(s and fromward(s into preps. In OE., though no prep. *wiðweard is known to have existed (cf. wiðerweard adj., adverse), there are many examples in which wið … weard is virtually a prep. governing the interposed word in the genitive (this being the case governed by wið). Although in OE. tó and wið are the only preps. that are recorded in this use, it is significant that in MHG. and in early mod. Ger., while no compound preps. with -wart, -wärts existed, these suffixes were added to phrases consisting of a sb. or pronoun governed by a prep. (chiefly zu, nach, gegen; also von corresponding to ME. from in from … ward). In this use, however, they were commonly treated not as suffixes but as advs., and written as separate words. In English also ward in this construction (which is now archaic) is sometimes apprehended as a separate adv., and so written. But it is usually felt as forming a compound with the governed sb. When the sb. is qualified by the definite article, as in ‘to the heavenward,’ there is a tendency to interpret the compound as a sb. or an adj. used absol., because of the apparent analogy of expressions like ‘to the eastward.’ Where the definite article was absent, the compound came to be regarded as an adv.; the prefixed to therefore became otiose, and therefore went out of use.

5. On the analogy of the advb. compounds originating from the omission of to (e.g., heavenward adv. from to heaven ward), the suffix has in the mod.Eng. period been added freely to sbs. (including proper names) to form advs. expressing direction, aspect or tendency. From the 16th c. onwards there has been a growing disposition to use the advs. in -ward as adjs.; in the 19th c. or the last years of the 18th c. several new adjs. of this formation appear for the first time: e.g., earthward, heavenward, Godward, manward, skyward; these, however, have been confined to literary use.

6. Examples of to … ward, till … ward (north. dial.), into … ward, unto … ward.

a. with proper name, or sb. without determining word. For other instances see BEDWARD, CHURCHWARD, DEATHWARD, EARTHWARD, GODWARD, HEAVENWARD, HELLWARD, MANWARD).

c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom. (Thorpe), I. 336. He … hine … bær to mynstreweard.

a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1052. ʓewendon heom þa to Norðmuðan, & swa to Lundene weard.

a. 1300. K. Horn, 1180. Ifond horn child stonde To schupeward in londe.

13[?]. Coer de L., 2452. King Richard Came sailing to Acres-ward.

1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIV. 308. He tempreth þe tonge to treuthe ward.

1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 175. Julianus wente into Perseward.

1448. Shillingford, Lett. (Camden), 37. Y mette with my lorde atte high table ende comyng to meteward.

1482. Cely Papers (Camden), 91. And the xj day I wndyrstond ȝe pwrpose to Bregyswhard.

a. 1500. Nutbrowne Maide, xix. in Arnolde’s Chron. (1502), O j b. To wood ward wyl I flee.

1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. lxxxvi. 103. Dyuers lordes and knyghtes of France were goyng into Spayne warde.

1526. Tindale, 2 Cor. i. 16. To have bene ledde forth to Jewry warde of you.

1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. Rom. vii. 13–8. The one … is wholly gyuen to synne, the other … laboureth to honestie-warde.

1572. Golding, Calvin on Ps. iv. 2. 10. As to David-ward, the solution is easye.

1601. W. Parry, Trav. Sir A. Sherley, 30. The Emperor of Rusciaes country to Persia ward.

1647. Trapp, Marrow Gd. Authors, in Comm. Ep., 619. The despensation of the grace of God is given us to others-ward.

1889. N. W. Linc. Gloss. (ed. 2), Toward. The word is often divided thus: He lives to Grimsby ward noo. She’s goān to Lunnun ward.

b. with sb. determined by article or otherwise.

¶ In quot. 1523, on is used instead of to or into (after a verb of motion).

c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, xxxi. 78. [He] het þæt he biheolde to his drihtne werd.

a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1048. Ða … wendon him þa up to þære burʓe weard.

c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1407. Til our contre-warde.

c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxx. (Theodera), 462. Scho with camelis and cart held on to þe merkat wart.

c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 386. Unto the gardynward.

c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 161. Þe herte … hangiþ sum-what to the liftsideward.

1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. 4045. Whan he cometh to-our-schippisward.

1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., cxlix. i 1 b. Whan the tydynge come to the pope,… tho was he to the kyngward ful wroth.

1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cxxxiv. 66. Assone as the skirmyssh was begon, he toke his horse with the spurres & came on the skirmysshe warde.

1526. Tindale, Mark xiv. 8. She cam afore honde to anoynt my boddy to his buryinge warde.

a. 1547. Surrey, Æneid, II. 303. Thus slided through our town The subtil tree, to Pallas temple ward.

1609. Dowland, Ornith. Microl., 40. A Quauer is a figure like a Crochet, having a dash to the right hand-ward.

1644. Manwayring, Sea-mans Dict., 71. If her sterne lie towards the sea, we say her sterne lies to the off-ward, and her head to the shore-ward.

1653. H. Cogan, trans. Pinto’s Trav., v. 195. This Pilot desiring to avoid certain sands that were to the Prow-ward of him, put forth to sea.

1884. W. Black, Jud. Shakespeare, xxxi. Casting his eyes to the isleward.

c. with pronoun, me, thee, etc. Now only arch.

a. 1250. Owl & Night., 375. Ȝif hundes urneþ to him ward.

c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2726. To hemward swide he lep.

1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 170. Bi tyme turne to me ward, for I wille speke with þe.

c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 1666. I shal so doon … That ay honour to me-ward shal rebounde.

1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls) VI. 413. Elfleda … regnede in al Mercia, outtake Londoun and Oxenforde, þe whiche þe kynge hylde to hymselfward.

1441. Plumpton Corr. (Camden), p. lvi. He, with officers of the said forest, rode to themward in all that they might pricke.

1448. Paston Lett., Suppl. (1901), 19. His master was at Causton to yow ward.

a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, lxxxii. 254. He tournyd his face to her warde.

1540. Palsgr., Acolastus, III. ii. O ij. She … seketh out the way to vs warde.

1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. lxiv. 12. 240. God wilbe the same to themward, that he shewed himself to be towards his servant David.

1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., 16. Of whiche your bountie to him warde I am a witnesse.

1593. R. Harvey, Philad., 71. Coil … brought the peoples goodwill into such a wheele, and so turned it to himselfeward, that [etc.].

1611. Bible, 2 Cor. xiii. 3. Since ye seeke a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weake, but is mightie in you.

1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 14. The subtile Lady Admirall (who was long before aware of the Prince’s love to her-ward).

1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 180. Then I think he will have set before us such a Hoghen moghen Leviathan, that that of Holy Job would be but a kind of Spratkin to it ward.

1738. Wesley, Hymns, ‘Dear Lord, my thankful Heart receives,’ iii. Thine Eyes to me-ward ever turn.

1830. Coleridge, Lett. to Mrs. Gillman, Lett. (1895), II. 754. An anxious friend and tender sister to me-ward!

1848. Lowell, Biglow P., iii. Let. 4 Nov. 1847. When rumor pointed to himward.

1901. Hardy, Poem, To an Unborn Pauper Child, iv. in Poems Past & Present (1902), 112.

	Vain vow! No hint of mine may hence
	To theeward fly.

† 7. Examples of from … ward, fro … ward. Obs.

Murray’s New English Dictionary. 1928, rev. 2024.

-ward