different between oft vs ofn

English

Etymology

From Middle English oft (also ofte, often > Modern English often), from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *uft? (“often”). Cognate with German oft (“oft, often”). More at often.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?ft/, enPR: ôft
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /?ft/, enPR: ?ft
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?ft/, enPR: ?ft
• Rhymes: -?ft

Adverb

oft (comparative ofter, superlative oftest)

1. (chiefly poetic, dialectal, and in combination) often; frequently; not rarely

   An oft-told tale

   • 1623, William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act II, Scene 1, 1765, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens (editors), The Plays of William Shakespeare, Volume 4, 1778, page 45,

     What I can do, can do no hurt to try: / Since you ?et up your re?t 'gain?t remedy: / He that of greate?t works is fini?her, / Oft does them by the weake?t mini?ter; / So holy writ in babes hath judgment ?hown, / When judges have been babes.

   • 1819, George Gordon Byron, John Galt (biography), The Pophecy of Dante, Canto the Fourth, 1857, The Complete Works of Lord Byron, Volume 1, page 403,

     And how is it that they, the sons of fame, / Whose inspiration seems to them to shine / From high, they whom the nations oftest name, / Must pass their days in penury or pain, / Or step to grandeur through the paths of shame, / And wear a deeper brand and gaudier chain?

   • 1902, James H. Mulligan, In Kentucky, quoted in 2005, Wade Hall (editor), The Kentucky Anthology, page 203,

     The moonlight falls the softest / In Kentucky; / The summer days come oftest / In Kentucky;

Usage notes

• In widespread contemporary use in combination.

Derived terms

• oft-repeated

Related terms

• many a time and oft
• often

Translations

Anagrams

• FOT, TOF

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ofte, oft, uft, from Old High German ofta, ofto, oftu, from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uft? (“often”). Cognate with English oft and often.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ft/

Adverb

oft (comparative öfter, superlative am öftesten)

1. often

Usage notes

• The comparative is occasionally replaced with häufiger. The superlative, although correct and existent, is not in widespread usage everywhere and is generally replaced with häufigsten.

Synonyms

• dauernd, des Öfteren, fortgesetzt, gehäuft, häufig, immer wieder, laufend, mehrfach, mehrmalig, mehrmals, öfter, öfters, oftmalig, oftmals, regelmäßig, ständig, vielfach, vielmals, wiederholt, x-mal, zigmal
• (colloquial, figuratively): dutzendfach, dutzendmal, hundertmal, tausendmal, millionenmal

Further reading

• “oft” in Duden online

Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oft/

Adverb

oft

1. often

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse oft (“often”) and opt (“oft, often”)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?ft

Adverb

oft (comparative oftar, superlative oftast)

1. often

Derived terms

• oftar en ekki (more often than not)

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ufta

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oft/

Adverb

oft

1. often

Descendants

• English: oft, often

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• opt

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ufta.

Adverb

oft

1. often

Descendants

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ufta

Adverb

oft

1. often

Descendants

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German oft, English often, Swedish ofta.

Adverb

oft

1. often, frequently

Synonyms

• efders
• oftmols

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse ofn, from Proto-Germanic *uhnaz, *uhwnaz (compare Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ovn, Norwegian Nynorsk omn, Swedish ugn, Dutch oven, Low German Aven, West Frisian ûne, German Ofen, Gothic ???????????????????? (auhns)), probably from a Proto-Indo-European *aukw- (“cooking pot”), *Huk?-, *ukwnos (compare Sanskrit ??? (ukh?), Old Armenian ????? (akut?), Albanian anë, Latin aulla, olla, Ancient Greek ????? (ipnós)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pn/
• Rhymes: -?pn

Noun

ofn m (genitive singular ofns, nominative plural ofnar)

1. oven
2. stove
3. furnace
4. radiator

Declension

Derived terms

• bakarofn (“baking oven”)
• blástursofn (“convection oven”)
• brennsluofn (“kiln”)
• bræðsluofn (“furnace”)
• ofnhanski (“oven glove, oven mitt”)
• ofnsteiktur (“oven-cooked, oven-roasted”)
• rafmagnsofn (“electric oven, electric heater”)
• örbylgjuofn (“microwave oven”)

Old English

Alternative forms

• ofen

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ofn, from Proto-Germanic *uhnaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ofn/, [ovn]

Noun

ofn m

1. oven, stove
2. furnace

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: oven
  • Scots: ovin, uven, une
  • English: oven

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *?obnos (“fear”) (compare Breton aon, Cornish own, Old Irish ómun).

Noun

ofn m (plural ofnau)

1. fear

Derived terms

• ofni (“to fear”)
• ofnus (“fearful, timorous”)

Mutation