FromOld English-weard, fromProto-Germanic*wardaz, earlier*warþaz(“turned toward, in the direction of, facing”) (compare-wards, from-weardes).
Cognate withDutch-waarts,Low German-warts,German-wärts,Old Norse-verðr,Icelandic-verðr,Swedish-vart,Gothic-𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍃(-wairþs),Latinvertere(“to turn”) orversus(“toward”), andSanskritवर्तते(vártate,“he turns”). Also related toworth(“to become”). Compareverse.
- (unstressed)
- (stressed, in the word "toward" only)
-ward
- Forming adverbs denoting course or direction to, or motion or tendency toward, as in "backward", "toward", "forward", etc.
- Forming adjectives, as in "a backward look", "the northward road", etc; used even by speakers who usually use-wards for adverbs.
- The choice between-ward and-wards is individual or dialectal; both are widely used with adverbs, though-ward is heavily favoured for adjectives.
- Adverbs ending in -wards (Anglo-Saxon-weardes) and some other adverbs, such asbesides,betimes, since Old Englishsithens, etc., originated as genitive forms used adverbially.
- The adjectivestoward (initial stress) andforward have meanings not predictable from the meaning of-ward.
- Awkward has retained the form but lost much of the sense in its use of this suffix.
