Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Often in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels often as adverb. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adverb
Often

[Formerly also ofte, fr. oft. See Oft., adv.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordoften
Part of speechadverb
Historical etymology[Formerly also ofte, fr. oft. See Oft., adv.]
Selected historical definitionFrequently; many times; not seldom.
Signed record IDwebster1913-often-adverb-9fe6331af0e1
Source locatorCIDE.O, paragraph 1510; Gutenberg eBook 665
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 665Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "often" is labeled adverb. Its etymology is recorded as: "[Formerly also ofte, fr. oft. See Oft., adv.]" The selected historical definition says: "Frequently; many times; not seldom."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-09-05

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

More released O records

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verb

Open

[AS. openian. See Open,a.]

Webster 1913 exact record

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