Out

Part of speech: adverb, preposition, adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /aʊt/

Definitions

1. Away from or not in a particular place or position
2. Beyond the limits of a space or area ; no longer involved or participating ; publicly disclosed or broadcasted
3. Located outside a defined boundary or beyond a specified range ; no longer active or engaged in a situation ; made known or revealed to others

Etymology: "Out" is one of the oldest words in English, and it has barely changed its core sense in more than a thousand years. Its ancestor, Old English "ūt", meant "out" as both a preposition and an adverb, and it descends from a Proto-Germanic form that goes back to a prehistoric root meaning "upwards" or "away." The same word survives across the Germanic family: German "aus", Dutch "uit", Swedish "ut", Icelandic "út", and Gothic "ut" all mean essentially the same thing, which is a sign of just how deep its roots run. English did not simply inherit one form, though. Middle English "out" and "oute" were formed by combining two Old English words, "ūt" (the preposition and adverb) and "ūte" (an adverb meaning "outside" or "without"). The two strands merged, and the modern word carries traces of both, which is why "out" can work as a preposition ("out the window"), an adverb ("go out"), an adjective ("the out door"), and a noun ("an out in cricket").

Synonyms: outside, away, externally, outward, beyond

Antonyms: in, inside, within, inward