out-

prefix

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *ūt- Old English ūt- Middle English ut- English out- From Middle English ut-, from Old English ūt- (“out, without, outside”) (also as ūta-, ūtan- (“from or on the outside, without”), as in ūtanweard (“outward, external”)), from Proto-Germanic *ūt- (“out-”). Cognate with Dutch uit-, German aus-, Swedish ut-, Icelandic út-. More at out.

1. External to, on the outside of

   “outback”

   “outhouse”

2. Toward the outside of, away from

   “outcast”

   “outlead”

3. Forms verbs with the sense of surpassing or exceeding the prefixed word. This construction is productive.

   “outdo”

   “outlast”

4. Greater than

   “outsize”

   “outrun”

5. Beyond

   “The plant's leaves outgrew their box”

6. Completely

   “outfit”

   “outwork”