Ongean

Part of speech: preposition, adverb

Definitions

1. An archaic adverb or preposition meaning back toward a place or in a direction ; in return or as a reply to something ; against or in opposition to someone or something
2. Old English term for turning back toward a point or direction ; given in answer or recompense for something ; set in contrast or resistance to another thing
3. Archaic word meaning returning toward a location ; responding in kind or giving something back ; standing against or opposing a person or idea

Etymology: Old English "ongean" meant "against," "toward," or "back toward," and it was built from "on" and "gean," the latter a word for "against" or "again" in the sense of facing back. Its close relative is "again," which descends from the same stock: "ongean" and "again" are essentially the same word, one that split into two forms as English developed. Over the centuries the Old English form softened and shifted, and by the Middle English period the descendant that survived in ordinary speech was "again," while "ongean" faded from common use. The word survives in modern English mainly in dialect and in archaic or literary settings, where it still carries the older sense of movement or facing toward something. Its survival in regional speech is a reminder that "again" and "against" once overlapped so heavily in meaning that the distinction between them was largely a matter of grammar and context.

Synonyms: again, back

Antonyms: away, forward