often

English Online Dictionary. What means often‎? What does often mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”). Cognate with Scots oftin (“often”), North Frisian oftem (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German oft (“often”), Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Danish ofte (“often”), Norwegian Bokmål ofte (“often”), Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Swedish ofta (“often”), and Icelandic oft (“often”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒf(t)ən/, (East Anglia, Historical RP) /ˈɔːf(t)ən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔf(t)ən/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑf(t)ən/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɒf(t)ən/
• Historically, the /t/ was pronounced but the current pronunciation was standardized after it stopped being pronounced (as in, e.g., listen, soften, glisten). Therefore, the modern forms where the /t/ is pronounced (compare oft) are spelling-influenced pronunciations. The traditional /t/-less form is considered by many to be “more correct” for that reason.
• Homophone: orphan (non-rhotic, lot–cloth split)
• Rhymes: -ɒfən, -ɒftən
• Hyphenation: oft‧en

Adverb

often (comparative more often or oftener, superlative most often or oftenest)

1. Frequently; many times on different occasions.

   Synonyms: a lot, (archaic except US) oftentimes, typically; see also Thesaurus:often

   Antonyms: infrequently, occasionally, rarely, seldom, (literary except India) unoften; see also Thesaurus:rarely

Derived terms

Related terms

• oft

Translations

Adjective

often (comparative more often, superlative most often)

1. (archaic) Frequent.
   • 1618, Anthony Munday (translator), The Third Booke of Amadis de Gaule by Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (1542), London, Chapter 2, p. 18,^[4]

     Then came the Ladies to visite him, and the Queene gaue him most gracious welcome, desiring him to be of good cheere: For heere is my Daughter (quoth she) right skilfull in the Art of Chirurgerie, that meanes to bee your often visitant.

See also

• Thesaurus:frequency

Middle English

Alternative forms

• offen, ouften

Etymology

From ofte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔftən/

Adverb

often

1. repeatedly, again and again, many times, frequently
2. Under many circumstances, in many instances

Descendants

• English: often
• Scots: aften, af'en, affen, oaffen, oaften

References

• “often, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.