oft
See also: OFT and oft-
English
Etymology
From Middle English oft (also ofte, often > Modern English often), from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *uftō (“often”). Cognate with German oft (“oft, often”). More at often.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɔft/, enPR: ôft
- (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA(key): /ɑft/, enPR: ŏft
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɒft/, enPR: ŏft
- Rhymes: -ɒft
Audio (US) (file)
Adverb
oft (comparative ofter, superlative oftest)
- (chiefly poetic, dialectal, and in combination) often; frequently; not rarely
- An oft-told tale
- 1623, William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act II, Scene 1, 1765, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens (editors), The Plays of William Shakespeare, Volume 4, 1778, page 45,
- What I can do, can do no hurt to try: / Since you ſet up your reſt 'gainſt remedy: / He that of greateſt works is finiſher, / Oft does them by the weakeſt miniſter; / So holy writ in babes hath judgment ſhown, / When judges have been babes.
- 1819, George Gordon Byron, John Galt (biography), The Pophecy of Dante, Canto the Fourth, 1857, The Complete Works of Lord Byron, Volume 1, page 403,
- And how is it that they, the sons of fame, / Whose inspiration seems to them to shine / From high, they whom the nations oftest name, / Must pass their days in penury or pain, / Or step to grandeur through the paths of shame, / And wear a deeper brand and gaudier chain?
- 1902, James H. Mulligan, In Kentucky, quoted in 2005, Wade Hall (editor), The Kentucky Anthology, page 203,
- The moonlight falls the softest / In Kentucky; / The summer days come oftest / In Kentucky;
Usage notes
- In widespread contemporary use in combination.
Derived terms
- oft-repeated
Related terms
- many a time and oft
- often
Translations
often; frequently; not rarely; many times
|
|
Anagrams
- FOT, TOF
German
Etymology
From Middle High German ofte, oft, uft, from Old High German ofta, ofto, oftu, from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”). Cognate with English often and oft.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔft/
Audio (file)
Adverb
oft (comparative öfter, superlative am öftesten)
- often
Usage notes
- The comparative is occasionally replaced with häufiger. The superlative, although correct and existent, is not in widespread usage everywhere and is generally replaced with häufigsten.
Synonyms
- dauernd, des Öfteren, fortgesetzt, gehäuft, häufig, immer wieder, laufend, mehrfach, mehrmalig, mehrmals, öfter, öfters, oftmalig, oftmals, regelmäßig, ständig, vielfach, vielmals, wiederholt, x-mal, zigmal
- (colloquial, figuratively): dutzendfach, dutzendmal, hundertmal, tausendmal, millionenmal
Further reading
- oft in Duden online
Icelandic
Etymology
From Old Norse oft (“often”) and opt (“oft, often”)
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɔft
Adverb
oft (comparative oftar, superlative oftast)
- often
- Ég fer oft í ræktina.
- I often go to the gym.
- Ég er oftast í tölvunni.
- I spend most of my time on the computer.
- Ég hef sigrað oftar en þú!
- I've won more often than you!
- Ég fer oft í ræktina.
Derived terms
- oftar en ekki (more often than not)
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *ufta
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oft/
Adverb
oft
- often
Descendants
- English: oft, often
Old Norse
Alternative forms
- opt
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *ufta.
Adverb
oft
- often
Descendants
- Icelandic: oft
- Swedish: ofta
- Norwegian: ofte
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *ufta
Adverb
oft
- often
Descendants
- Low German: oft
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Compare German oft, English often, Swedish ofta.
Adverb
oft
- often, frequently
Synonyms
- efders
- oftmols