of
/ov/
The English phrase 'of' is translated into Old English as of.
In Old English, of is a preposition used to indicate possession, functioning as a genitive. It is also used to express origin or source, similar to the modern English word 'from'. Additionally, it can mean 'out of' or 'away from' to describe movement from the inside of something to the outside.
Meaning: possessive genitive: belonging to (prep)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Northern Old English dialects, of was often replaced by fra.
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition of is frequently used to express origin or source.
How do you pronounce it?
/ov/
Did you know?
- The preposition of is actually a weakened, unstressed version of the older word æf.
- In certain Northern dialects, you might find the word fra used instead of of to express the same sense of origin or source.
- The word of acted as a bridge between the concept of 'possession' and the concept of 'source'.
Examples in context
- Of þām ǣġe crēap ān lȳtel and swīðe hungriġ trēowwyrm.Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar.This sentence shows of used to mean 'out of'.
- The Life of Saint Margaret
Iċ nylle nān word mā of þīnum mūðe ġehīeran.I don't want to hear one more word out of your mouth.This sentence shows of used in the context of 'out of'. - late 10th century, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year
Swā swā fiscas cwelaþ gif hīe of wætre bēoþ, swā ēac cwileþ ǣlċ eorðliċ līchama gif hē biþ þǣre lyfte bedǣled.Just as fish die if they're out of the water, every land animal dies if it is deprived of air.This sentence shows of used to describe being 'out of' something. - 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a gold ring.
- EadgythHwǣr is se hring of golde?Where is the ring of gold?
- OsricHē is on þǣre ċiste, Eadgyth.It is in the chest, Eadgyth.
- EadgythIs hit sōðlīċe hring of golde?Is it truly a ring of gold?
- OsricĠēa, hē is swīþe dēore.Yes, it is very precious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry of, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries of, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
