Meanings
suffix
- Forming adjectives and adverbs denoting course or direction to, or motion or tendency toward, as in "backwards", "towards", etc.
(Katisha:) At once I go Mikado-wards!
1885, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert; Arthur Sullivan, composer, “The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu”, in […] The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu, London: Chappel & Co., […], →OCLC
Origin
- Old English-weardes
- Middle English-wardes
- English-wards
From Middle English -wardes, from Old English -weardes, a variant of -weard; equivalent to -ward + -s (adverbial suffix). Cognate with German -wärts, Dutch -waarts.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch -waarts, -waarts
- -waartsforming adverbs
- -waartsforming adjectives
Finnish -päin
- -päinforming adverbs
German -wärts
- -wärtsforming adverbs
Hebrew ־ה, ל־
- ־ה (-a)forming adverbs
- ל־ (l'-)forming adverbs
Latvian -up
- -upforming adverbs
Yiddish אַר־
- אַר־ (ar-)forming adverbs
Cite this entry
APA
-wards. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wards
MLA
“-wards.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wards. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-wards,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-wards.
Source: -wards on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.