onwards
UK[ˈɒnwədz]US[ˈɑːnwərdz]
adv
in a continuing forward direction; ahead
adv
at or to a more advanced point in time or in a process
Etymology
the word 'onwards' is a directional adverb formed within english. its core is the ancient preposition 'on', which traces back to proto-germanic ana and ultimately to the proto-indo-european root an-, meaning "on" or "upon". to this, the old english directional suffix '-weard' (meaning "turned toward") was added, creating the form 'onweard'. over time, the '-weard' suffix evolved into the modern '-wards', used to form adverbs indicating direction. thus, 'onwards' literally means "in the direction of being on or forward," capturing the sense of continuous progression in space or time.
Analysis
the word is a simplex adverb formed by adding the directional suffix '-wards' to the preposition/adverb 'on'. '-wards' is of old english origin, from '-weard', meaning "in the direction of".
Examples
the army marched onwards through the night.
from this day onwards, i will exercise regularly.
the research project will continue onwards to its next phase.