afford
pronunciation
How to pronounce afford in British English:
UK [əˈfɔːd]
How to pronounce afford in American English:
US [əˈfɔːrd]
-
- Verb:
- be able to spare or give up
- be the cause or source of
- have the financial means to do something or buy something
- afford access to
Word Origin
- afford
- afford: [OE] This verb originally meant ‘accomplish, fulfil’. In Old English times it was geforthian, formed from the prefix ge-, denoting completion of an action, and forthian ‘advance towards completion’ or literally ‘further’ (from the adverb forth). The notion of accomplishing something or managing something gradually led, by the 15th century, to the idea of being able to do something because one has enough money.Meanwhile, the original ge- prefix, which by Middle English times had become i- (iforthien), had been transformed into af- under the influence of the many Latin-based words beginning in aff-, and in the 16th century spellings with final d in place of th start to appear.=> forth
- afford (v.)
- Middle English aforthen, from Old English geforðian "to put forth, contribute; further, advance; carry out, accomplish," from ge- completive prefix (see a- (1)) + forðian "to further," from forð "forward, onward" (see forth). Change of -th- to -d- took place late 16c. (and also transformed burthen and murther into their modern forms). Prefix shift to af- took place 16c. under mistaken belief that it was a Latin word in ad-. Notion of "accomplish" (late Old English) gradually became "be able to bear the expense of, have enough money" to do something (late 14c.). Older sense is preserved in afford (one) an opportunity. Related: Afforded; affording.
Example
- 1. These industries are luxuries that only wealth and high production efficiency can afford .
- 2. Revolutions such as the one in syria would seem to afford the perfect opportunity .
- 3. Today , the typical indian middle-class household can only afford a motorcycle .
- 4. All of the extra training did afford me plenty of time to myself for reflection and contemplation .
- 5. No company can afford to be associated with anything the public finds disagreeable whether it is legal or not .