Old English prepositions
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This is a list of prepositions in the Old English language. Many of them, particularly those marked "etc.", are found in other variant spellings. Prepositions may govern the accusative, genitive, dative or instrumental cases - the question of which is beyond the scope of this short article.
| Prepositions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old English | Definition | Notes | ||||
| æfter | after; along, through, during; according to, by means of; about. | Ancestor of modern after | ||||
| ǽr | before | Related to modern German eher, ancestor of modern ere | ||||
| æt | at, to, before, next, with, in, for, against; unto, as far as. | Ancestor of modern at | ||||
| and | against, before, on. | |||||
| andlang | along | Ancestor of modern along | ||||
| bæftan | after, behind; without. | |||||
| be, bí | by, near to, to, at, in, on, upon, about, with; of, from, about, touching, concerning; for, because of, after, by, through, according to; beside, out of. | Related to modern German bei, ancestor of modern by | ||||
| befóran | before. | Ancestor of modern before | ||||
| begeondan | beyond. | Ancestor of modern beyond | ||||
| behindan | behind. | Ancestor of modern behind | ||||
| beinnan | in, within. | |||||
| beneoðan | beneath. | Ancestor of modern beneath | ||||
| betweonum, betweox, etc. | betwixt, between, among, amid, in the midst. | Ancestors of modern between and betwixt respectively | ||||
| bírihte | near. | |||||
| búfan | above. | Ancestor of modern above through compound form onbúfan | ||||
| bútan | out of, against; without, except. | |||||
| eác | with, in addition to, besides. | Related to modern German auch | ||||
| for | for, on account of, because of, with, by; according to; instead of. | Ancestor of modern for | ||||
| fór, fóre | before. | |||||
| fram | from; concerning, about, of. | Ancestor of modern from | ||||
| gemang | among | Ancestor of modern among | ||||
| geond | through, throughout, over, as far as, among, in, after, beyond. | Ancestor of modern yonder through comparative form geondra | ||||
| in | in, on; into, to. | Ancestor of modern in | ||||
| innan | in, into, within, from within. | |||||
| intó | into | Ancestor of modern into | ||||
| mid | with | Ancestor of modern amid through related form onmiddan | ||||
| neáh | near | Ancestor of modern nigh | ||||
| nefne | except | |||||
| of | of, from, out of, off. | Ancestor of modern of and off | ||||
| ofer | above, over; upon, on; throughout; beyond, more than | Ancestor of modern over | ||||
| on | on; in, at; | Ancestor of modern on | ||||
| onbútan | about | Ancestor of modern about | ||||
| ongeagn, etc. | opposite, against; towards; in reply to. | Ancestor of modern again | ||||
| onuppan | upon, on. | |||||
| oþ | to, unto, up to, as far as. | |||||
| samod | with, at. | |||||
| tó | to, at. | Ancestor of modern to | ||||
| tóeácan | in addition to, besides. | |||||
| tóforan | before. | |||||
| tógeagnes | towards, against. | |||||
| tómiddes | in the midst of, amidst. | |||||
| tóweard | toward. | Ancestor of modern toward | ||||
| þurh | through | Related to modern German durch, ancestor of modern through | ||||
| ufenan | above, besides. | |||||
| under | under. | Ancestor of modern under | ||||
| underneoþan | underneath. | Ancestor of modern underneath | ||||
| uppan | upon, on. | Not the ancestor of modern upon, which came from "up on". | ||||
| útan | without, outside of | Related to modern German außen, außer | ||||
| wið | towards, to; with, against; opposite to; by, near. | Ancestor of modern with | ||||
| wiðæftan | behind. | |||||
| wiðer | against. | Related to modern German wider | ||||
| wiðinnan | within. | Ancestor of modern within | ||||
| wiðforan | before. | |||||
| wiðoutan | without, outside of. | Ancestor of modern without | ||||
| ymb | about, by. | Related to Latin ambi | ||||
| ymbútan | about, around; concerning. | |||||
