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Origin and history of outworn

outworn(adj.)

"worn out; wasted or consumed by wear, use, or time," 1560s, from out- + worn.

Entries linking to outworn

"impaired or affected by wear or use," c. 1500, from adjectival use of past participle of wear (v.), which is from Old English geworen.

Worn-out "completely tired, exhausted by use, made ineffective by overuse" is attested from 1610s in reference to clothing, etc.; c. 1700 in reference to persons.

in Old English a common prefix with nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs, "out, outward, outer; forth, away," from out (adv.). The use was even more common in Middle English, and also with the senses "outer, outside, on the outside, from without, external, externally; apart; greatly, extremely; completely, thoroughly, to completion." Other senses of out that extended into the use as a prefix include "beyond the surface or limits; to the utmost degree; to an explicit resolution."

In composition out has either its ordinary adverbial sense, as in outcast, outcome, outlook, etc., or a prepositional force, as in outdoors, or forms transitive verbs denoting a going beyond or surpassing of the object of the verb, in doing the act expressed by the word to which it is prefixed, as in outrun, outshine, outvenom, etc. In the last use especially out may be used with almost any noun or verb. [Century Dictionary]
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