Offshore
/ˌɒfˈʃɔːr/noun
Located or occurring at sea some distance from the shore, or outside a country’s territory.
Did you know?The word is a straightforward compound of Old English elements meaning ‘away from’ and ‘shore,’ and it later became a major legal and financial term for things placed beyond a nation’s immediate reach.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
English
ōf
“away, away from”
Old English
English
scor
“shore, land by the sea”
Middle English
English
off shore
“away from the shore; at sea”
16th-17th Century
English
offshore
“located away from the coast”
Modern English
English
offshore
“situated at sea, or beyond a country’s borders for legal or financial purposes”