Etymology

afterthought

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Today it means: A reflection after an act; a later or subsequent thought, action, or expedient. Full definition →

English thought ← Middle English thought ← Old English þōht
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep(o)teros
  4. Proto-Germanic*after
  5. Old Englishæfter
  6. Middle Englishafter
  7. Englishafter
  8. Old Englishæfter
  9. Old Englishæfter-
  10. Middle Englishafter-
  11. Englishafter-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*teng-
  13. Proto-Germanic*þankijaną
  14. Proto-Germanic*þanhtaz
  15. Proto-West Germanic*þą̄ht
  16. Old Englishþōht
  17. Middle Englishthought
  18. Englishthought
  19. English todayafterthought

From after- + thought, probably modelled on forethought. Compare also the verb afterthink.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.