English word ever comes from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ-, Old English feore, Old English ǣfre, and later Proto-Germanic *ferhwō (Body, life.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *perkʷ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| feore | Old English (ang) | |
| ǣfre | Old English (ang) | |
| *ferhwō | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Body, life. |
| feorh | Old English (ang) | Life, principles of life, soul, spirit. Living being, person. |
| æfre | Old English (ang) | Ever. |
| evere | Middle English (enm) | |
| ever | English (en) | (informal) As intensifier following an interrogative word.. Always.. At any time.. In any way. (dialectal, and, informal) (epidemiology) Occurring at any time, occurring even but once during a timespan. |