Old English weges, literally: of the way, from wegway
-ways
Word Origin
1
a suffix appearing in native English adverbs:
always; sideways.
Origin
Middle English; see way1, -s1
Related Words
-wise
breadthways
endways
leastways
lengthways
longways
-waysa suffix creating adverbs of manner, as in sideways, lengthways.
See -wise. [originally genitive of way]
-ways adverb suffix
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from ways, genitive of way
: in (such) a way, course, direction, or manner sideways
-ways
/weɪz/
suffix
forming adjectives and adverbs of direction or manner
［构成形容词、副词］表示“在…方向”, “以…方式”：
edgeways
lengthways.
比较-WISE.
-waysthe terminal element of certain advs., was originally a use of the genitive of way n.11. Many phrases consisting of the genitive of way (in various senses) qualified by an adj., were formerly used adverbially (see way n.1 23 a). The earliest known examples are in the Peterborough Chronicle (first hand, a.d. 1124) which twice has óðres weᵹes in the sense ‘by another route’; in this phrase the adj. appears uninflected before the end of the 12th c. (see otherways). Similarly alles weis, nanes (nones) weis occur early in the 13th c., becoming always, noways in the 14th c. On the analogy of these words were subsequently formed †everyways (1398), anyways, †likeways (16th c.), and (from descriptive adjs.) crossways, longways, straightways (16th c.), broadways (18th c.).2. A solitary instance of an adv.f.n. + -ways before the 16th c. is †needways ‘necessarily’, occurring in the Cursor M. (a 1300) and in Barbour. In the later formations the general sense is ‘in a specified direction’; so endways, lengthways, sideways (16th c.), edgeways, breadthways (17th c.), sternways (19th c.), sunways.3. As there is no perceptible difference of function between the adverbial genitive and the adverbial accusative, most of the advs. in -ways have synonyms in -way. Further, most of the advs. in -ways are synonymous with actual or possible parallel formations in -wise; and the similarity of sound of the two suffixes has given rise to the notion that they are mere alternative forms of one and the same ending. Johnson's erroneous statement (s.v.Way) that ‘way and ways are often used corruptly for -wise’ has probably led many to prefer -wise to -ways or -way on the ground of supposed correctness. Cf.alway, always, †alwise; anyway, anyways, anywise; breadthways, -wise; broadway, -ways, -wise; crossway, -ways, -wise; edgeway, -ways, -wise; endway, -ways; everyway, †-ways; lengthways, -wise; †likeways (obs.), likewise; longways, -wise; noway, -ways, -wise; otherways, -wise; sideway, -ways, -wise; straightway, -ways, †-wise; sunway, -ways, -wise.4. The combinations of -ways are, unlike those of -way, hardly ever used as adjs., with the exception of sideways.
-ways/weɪz/suffix.
ORIGIN: from waynoun + -'s1.
Forming adverbs & adjectives with the sense ‘relating to direction, position, or manner’, from nouns, as edgeways, endways, lengthways, sideways, etc., or (occas.) from adjectives, as flatways, longways, etc. Cf. -wise.
☞ ways
-ways \ˌwāz{fl>adverb suffix{\ Etymology: Middle English -ways, -weys, from ways, weyes, wayes, gen. of way, wey way — more at way : in (such) a way, course, direction, or manner < sideways > < barways >