Etymology

for that

Today it means: Because. Full definition →

Middle English for that ← Old English for þon
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromfor þon
  2. Middle English · inherited fromfor that
  3. English todayfor that

From Middle English for that, from an alteration of Old English for þon (þe), with the instrumental demonstrative pronoun þon replaced by nominative/accusative þæt due to levelling of the Old English declensional system in Middle English. Equivalent to for (“because of”) + that. Compare forthan, a parallel descendant of the same construction without the declensional levelling.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.