English Online Dictionary. What means afford? What does afford mean?
English
Alternative forms
- afoord, affoord, affoard, affowrd (all obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English afforthen, aforthen, avorthien, from earlier iforthen, iforthien, ȝeforthien, from Old English forþian, ġeforþian (“to further, accomplish, afford”), from Proto-Germanic *furþōną, from Proto-Germanic *furþą (“forth, forward”), equivalent to a- + forth. Cognate with Old Norse forða (“to forward oneself, save oneself, escape danger”), Icelandic forða (“to save, rescue”).
Pronunciation
- (with the horse-hoarse merger)
- (General American) enPR: ə-fōrdʹ, IPA(key): /əˈfoɹd/, [əˈfo̞ɹd]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈfɔːd/
- Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d
- (without the horse–hoarse merger)
- (rhotic) IPA(key): /əˈfo(ː)ɹd/
- (non-rhotic) IPA(key): /əˈfoəd/
Verb
afford (third-person singular simple present affords, present participle affording, simple past and past participle afforded)
- To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of ability, as could, able, difficult) to be able or rich enough.
- (obsolete) To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting or expending, with profit, or without too great a loss.
- (rare) To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue.
- To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish.
Usage notes
- Sense 1 is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs