Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
out-. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
out-, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
out- in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
out- you have here. The definition of the word
out- will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
out-, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
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.
Prefix
out-
- External to, on the outside of
- outback
- outhouse
- Toward the outside of, away from
- outcast
- outlead
- outflee
- Forms verbs with the sense of surpassing or exceeding the prefixed word. This construction is productive.
- outdo
- outlast
- outmaneuver
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :It out-Herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it.
1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Emma: , volume II, London: for John Murray, →OCLC, page 345:She was nobody when he married her, barely the daughter of a gentleman; but ever since her being turned into a Churchill she has out-Churchill’d them all in high and mighty claims: but in herself, I assure you, she is an upstart.
2016, Noam Chomsky, What Kind of Creatures Are We?, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 124:With a few honorable exceptions it out-Descartesed Descartes […]
- Greater than
- outsize
- outrun
- outgrow
By the end of the competition, Lisa's plant had outgrown its competitors, winning the competition.
- Beyond
The plant's leaves outgrew their box
- Completely
- outfit
- outwork
Synonyms
- (outside): ex-, exo-, ecto-
- (away from): off-, ab-, apo-, de-, away, off
- (surpassing): (loose sense) supra-
- (greater than): supra-
- (beyond): trans-, para-, hyper-, ultra-, extra-, preter-
Antonyms
Derived terms