Moving or directed toward a lower level or position; going down.
From Old English 'adun-weard': 'down' (from 'of dune,' off the hill) plus '-weard' (direction, from 'toward'). The suffix '-ward' still appears in words like 'forward,' 'backward,' and 'inward,' all indicating direction.
The '-ward' suffix is ancient—it originally meant 'guard' in some contexts, but evolved to mean 'toward,' which is why we have 'onward,' 'afterward,' and 'homeward.' It's a living fossil of Old English that shapes how we describe direction.
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