Added 9 October 2026
further
/ˈfɜːðə/ verb
In Latin: ulterior Wiktionary
verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about further at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Promote the growth of.
Foster our children's well-being and education
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Contribute to the progress or growth of.
I am promoting the use of computers in the classroom
adjective
adverb
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To or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (`further' is used more often than `farther' in this abstract sense).
further complicated by uncertainty about the future
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In addition or furthermore.
if we further suppose
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To or at a greater distance in time or space (`farther' is used more frequently than `further' in this physical sense).
farther north
Origin
From Middle English further, forther, from Old English forþor, furþor (“further”, adverb), from Proto-West Germanic *furþer, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (a common preposition), equivalent to fore + -ther (a vestigial comparative ending still present in such words as other, either, whether, and, in altered form, in after); or as sometimes stated, as forth + -er. Cognate with Scots forder, furder (“further”), Saterland Frisian foarder (“further”), West Frisian fierder (“further”), Dutch verder (“further”), German fürder (“further”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)