as if

The story

1. Old English · inherited from*ealswā ġif
2. Middle English · inherited fromas ȝif
3. English todayas if

From Middle English as ȝif, alls iff (“as if”), from Old English *ealswā ġif, attested only as swā ġif (“as if”), equivalent to as + if. Compare Saterland Frisian as of (“as if”), Dutch alsof (“as if”), Low German as of (“as if”), German als ob (“as if”).