Affording

/əˈfɔːr.dɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The present participle of afford; the act of being able to pay for something or providing something to someone.

Etymology

From Old English 'geforthian' (to further, promote), which evolved into Middle English 'afforden.' The 'af-' prefix intensified the meaning, eventually becoming our modern 'afford' meaning to have enough resources.

Kelly Says

It's wild that 'afford' once meant 'to further or help along' before it narrowed down to mean 'having enough money'—it shows how economics literally reshaped the meaning of our words.

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