Ago
/əˈɡoʊ/noun
Used to refer to a period of time before the present.
Did you know?Ago began as a past participle meaning “gone,” preserving an ancient metaphor in which elapsed time is imagined as something that has physically departed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰeh₁-
“To go or move”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gāną
“To go or depart”
Old English
OE
agān
“Gone or departed; the past participle of “go””
Middle English
ME
ago
“Gone by; previously elapsed”
Modern English
English
ago
“Before the present time”