Toward the outside or away from the center; moving in the direction away from the inside.
From Old English 'utweard' (toward the outside), combining 'ut' (out) and '-weard' (direction). This '-ward' suffix appears in many direction words like 'forward,' 'backward,' and 'homeward.'
The '-ward' suffix is ancient and still productive in English—we can say 'skyward,' 'earthward,' or 'heavenward' for any direction, and everyone knows what we mean!
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