off-

prefix

Away from; off.

“off-white”

Similar
out-ab-apo-de-awayoff
OriginMiddle English of- ← Old English of- ← Proto-Germanic *aba- →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. Away from; off.

    Synonyms: out-, ab-, apo-, de-, away, off

  2. not quite; almost

    off-white

Synonyms & antonyms

prefixAway from; off.

Similar
out-ab-apo-de-awayoff
Also see
ab-apo-awayde-out-un-

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó“off, away”
  2. Proto-Germanic*aba-“off, away”
  3. Old Englishof-
  4. Middle Englishof-
  5. Englishoff-

From Middle English of-, from Old English of-, æf- (“off, away, down, un-”), from Proto-Germanic *aba- (“off, away”), combining form of *ab(a), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“off, away”). Cognate with Dutch af- (“off, away, down”), German ab- (“off, from, down”), Latin ab- (“from, of”), Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, “away from, without”). Doublet of apo- and ab-. Equivalent to off. Compare of.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

off-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-

MLA

“off-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “off-,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off-.

Source: off- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.