Further

How to spell further

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce further

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does further mean?

1. adverbTo or at a greater distance, degree, or extent; in addition.
2. adjectiveMore; additional to what already exists.
3. verbTo help the progress or development of something.

Further in a sentence

• adverb

  We walked further down the trail than we had planned.

• adjective

  We will send further details once the contract is signed.

• verb

  She took the course to further her career in finance.

• adverb

  The report needs further analysis before the board approves it.

• adjective

  Any further delay will push the launch into next quarter.

• verb

  The grant will further research into renewable energy.

Where does further come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word comes from the Old English furthor, which was the comparative form of forth, meaning 'forward' or 'onward'. The underlying sense was simply 'more forward' or 'to a greater distance ahead', and that core idea of advancing onward survives in every modern use. Over the centuries it absorbed two jobs: marking greater distance or extent, and naming the act of pushing something forward, as in furthering a cause. English speakers often treat further and farther as interchangeable, though many writers reserve farther for literal physical distance and further for figurative or abstract degree. The spelling keeps the th of its parent forth, which is the easiest peg for remembering it; both share the same forward-moving Germanic root. The verb meaning 'to advance or promote' grew naturally out of the idea of moving a plan onward.

How the word is built

• furth- (from Old English furthor, comparative of forth)
• -er (comparative suffix)