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al·ways

(ôlwāz, -wĭz, -wēz)

adv.

1. At all times; invariably: always late.

2. For all time; forever: They will always be friends.

3. At any time; in any event: You can always resign if you're unhappy.

[Middle English alweis : alwei, always (from Old English ealne weg : ealne, accusative of eall, all; see ALL + weg, way; see wegh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + -es, adv. suff.; see -S³.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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