anything

anything · pronoun, noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁oy-no-kós
4. Proto-Germanic*ainagaz
5. Proto-West Germanic*ainag
6. Old Englishǣniġ
7. Proto-Indo-European*tenk-?
8. Proto-Indo-European*tenkóm
9. Proto-Germanic*þingą
10. Proto-West Germanic*þing
11. Old Englishþing
12. Old Englishaniþing
13. Middle Englishanything
14. English todayanything

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, from Late Old English aniþing, from earlier ǣniġ þing (literally “any thing”), equivalent to any + thing.

anything · adverb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁oy-no-kós
4. Proto-Germanic*ainagaz
5. Proto-West Germanic*ainag
6. Old Englishǣniġ
7. Old Englishǣniġe
8. Proto-Indo-European*tenk-?
9. Proto-Indo-European*tenkóm
10. Proto-Germanic*þingą
11. Proto-West Germanic*þing
12. Old Englishþing
13. Old Englishþinga
14. Old Englishǣniġe þinga
15. Middle Englishanything
16. English todayanything

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, onythynge, from Old English ǣniġe þinga, ǣnġi þinga (literally “by any of things”), from ǣniġe, instrumental form of ǣniġ (“any”) + þinga, genitive plural of þing (“thing”).

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. Used as a placeholder verb for any verb out of a set of related verbs.