The story
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*pr̥h₂i
- Proto-Germanic*furi
- Proto-West Germanic*furi
- Old Englishfor
- Middle Englishfor
- Englishfor
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ey-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂óyu
- Proto-Germanic*aiwaz
- Proto-West Germanic*aiw
- Old Englishā
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Germanic*in
- Proto-West Germanic*in
- Old Englishin
- Proto-Indo-European*perkʷ-
- Proto-Indo-European*pérkus
- Proto-Germanic*ferhuzder.?
- Proto-Germanic*ferhwą
- Proto-West Germanic*ferh
- Old Englishfeorh
- Old Englishǣfre
- Middle Englishever
- Englishever
- English todayforever
Univerbation of for ever, from Middle English for ever, for evere. By surface analysis, for + ever. First attested in the late 14c., and first attested in the late 17c. as one word. Noun first attested in 1858.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.