In or into the past; gone by or elapsed (archaic construction rarely used in modern English).
From 'a-' (prefix indicating state or motion) + 'past,' forming an archaic adverbial meaning. This word reflects older English syntax where prefixes modified temporal and spatial concepts differently than in modern usage.
Apast is linguistically fascinating because it shows how the prefix 'a-' used to be much more productive in English—you could pile it onto verbs and adjectives in ways we now think sound absurd, like 'a-bed' or 'a-hunting.' Most have disappeared except in folk phrases.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.