From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots affen, aften, af'en, oaffen, oaften, oftin (“often”), North Frisian aaft, oftem, oofting (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German, Luxembourgish and Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Yiddish אָפֿט (oft, “often”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Faroese, Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta, “often”).
Meanings
(archaic) Frequent.
The Shew-bread by an often remove, and renewing, was continually to stand before the Lord in his House […] 1656, John Bunyan, chapter 48, in Solomon’s Temple Spiritualiz’d, London: George Larkin, published 1688, page 113:
[…] it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and, indeed, the sundry contemplation of my travels; in which my often rumination wraps me in a most humorous sadness. c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
1618, Anthony Munday (translator), The Third Booke of Amadis de Gaule by Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (1542), London, Chapter 2, p. 18,
Then came the Ladies to visite him, and the Queene gaue him most gracious welcome, desiring him to be of good cheere: For heere is my Daughter (quoth she) right skilfull in the Art of Chirurgerie, that meanes to bee your often visitant.
From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō (“often”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots affen, aften, af'en, oaffen, oaften, oftin (“often”), North Frisian aaft, oftem, oofting (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German, Luxembourgish and Pennsylvania German oft (“often”), Yiddish אָפֿט (oft, “often”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk ofte (“often”), Faroese, Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (ufta, “often”).
Meanings
Frequently; many times on different occasions.
It can't be said too often / often enough.
How often is the comfort of a whole family abridged by some trifling circumstance, that ought not to have made a visible impression! 1850, T. S. Arthur, “A Rise in the Butter Market”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 59:
I often walk to work when the weather is nice.
Although frogs are able to swim well and often are found in water, they are really land animals. 1912, P. Chalmers Mitchell, “Larvæ and Metamorphoses”, in The Childhood of Animals, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, →OCLC, page 17:
According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle. 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
☞ This word [wrap] is often pronounced wrop, rhyming with top, even by ſpeakers much above the vulgar. 1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] , London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, →OCLC, page 557:
I’ve been going to the movies more often since a new theatre opened near me.
ja しばしば (frequently, many times) · be ча́ста (frequently, many times) · it sovente (frequently, many times) · et tihti (frequently, many times) · ky жыш (frequently, many times) · bg че́сто (frequently, many times) · tk ýygy-ýygydan (frequently, many times) · mr अनेक वेळा (frequently, many times) · ky тез-тез (frequently, many times) · yi אָפֿט (frequently, many times) · fi monta kertaa (frequently, many times) · ckb گەلێ جار (frequently, many times) · fr souvent (frequently, many times) · gd tric (frequently, many times) · nl vaak (frequently, many times) · dsb cesto (frequently, many times) · mk често (frequently, many times) · io ofte (frequently, many times) · is títt (frequently, many times) · tr sık (frequently, many times) · ar كَثِيرًا مَا (frequently, many times) · gl seguido (frequently, many times) · mfe souvan (frequently, many times) · tk ýygy (frequently, many times) · id sering (frequently, many times) · te తరచూ (frequently, many times) · mr पुष्कळदा (frequently, many times) · fi monesti (frequently, many times) · hu sűrűn (frequently, many times) · ia sovente (frequently, many times) · mr खूपदा (frequently, many times) · pt frequentemente (frequently, many times) · jv asring (frequently, many times) · ar كَثِيرًا (frequently, many times) · km ញឹកញាប់ (frequently, many times) · kw yn fenowgh (frequently, many times) · ru зачасту́ю (frequently, many times) · br alies (frequently, many times) · mn үргэлж (frequently, many times) · pdt foaken (frequently, many times) · ckb زۆر جار (frequently, many times) · la saepe (frequently, many times) · cmn 經常 /经常 (frequently, many times) · is ósjaldan (frequently, many times) · ja 度々 (frequently, many times) · rm savens (frequently, many times) · no ofte (frequently, many times) · sh čȇsto (frequently, many times) · el συχνά (frequently, many times) · la saepenumerō (frequently, many times) · eu maiz (frequently, many times) · ki kaingĩ (frequently, many times) · is þrá- (frequently, many times) · af dikwels (frequently, many times) · ht souvan (frequently, many times) · hu gyakran (frequently, many times) · ms selalu (frequently, many times) · mr बर्याचदा (frequently, many times) · th บ่อย (frequently, many times) · nds vaken (frequently, many times) · aeb بَرْشَا (frequently, many times) · pl często (frequently, many times) · mr बर्याच वेळा (frequently, many times) · zdj naɗi (frequently, many times) · tl madalas (frequently, many times) · ckb بارەھا (frequently, many times) · nds oft (frequently, many times) · ru ча́сто (frequently, many times) · sco aften (frequently, many times) · fi usein (frequently, many times) · cmn 往往 (frequently, many times) · vi thường hay (frequently, many times) · et sageli (frequently, many times) · pt seguido (frequently, many times) · vi hay (frequently, many times) · es seguido (frequently, many times) · vo suvo (frequently, many times) · hi प्रायः (frequently, many times) · yue 成日 (frequently, many times) · nl menigmaal (frequently, many times) · kk жиі-жиі (frequently, many times) · my မကြာခဏ (frequently, many times) · got 𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰 (frequently, many times) · gd gu tric (frequently, many times) · grc πολλά (frequently, many times) · ja 頻繁に (frequently, many times) · es a menudo (frequently, many times) · dak ižehaŋ (frequently, many times) · kk жиі (frequently, many times) · is oftlega (frequently, many times) · mn байн байн (frequently, many times) · ba йыш (frequently, many times) · ta அவ்வப்பொழுது (frequently, many times) · wyi mel-boo (frequently, many times) · ang oft (frequently, many times) · dak s'a (frequently, many times) · is iðulega (frequently, many times) · eo ofte (frequently, many times) · ary غالبا (frequently, many times) · it spesso (frequently, many times) · tg ағлаб (frequently, many times) · tr sık sık (frequently, many times) · non opt (frequently, many times) · es soler (frequently, many times) · lo ຄ້ອຍ (frequently, many times) · cmn 常常 (frequently, many times) · es acostumbrar (a) (frequently, many times) · da hyppigt (frequently, many times) · sl pogósto (frequently, many times) · mt spiss (frequently, many times) · ar غَالِبًا مَا (frequently, many times) · csb czãsto (frequently, many times) · ka ხშირ-ხშირად (frequently, many times) · hu sokszor (frequently, many times) · lv bieži (frequently, many times) · ta அடிக்கடி (frequently, many times) · lb oft (frequently, many times) · tg зич (frequently, many times) · ovd kringgt (frequently, many times) · he לְעִתִּים קְרוֹבוֹת (frequently, many times) · izh tihtii (frequently, many times) · tk aglaba (frequently, many times) · oj moozhag (frequently, many times) · liv saggõld (frequently, many times) · nl dikwijls (frequently, many times) · ru часте́нько (frequently, many times) · lt dažnai (frequently, many times) · de oft (frequently, many times) · ar طَالَمَا (frequently, many times) · no hyppig (frequently, many times) · cs často (frequently, many times) · fr souventefois (frequently, many times) · ro des (frequently, many times) · sw mara nyingi (frequently, many times) · my ခဏခဏ (frequently, many times) · sh че̑сто (frequently, many times) · de häufig (frequently, many times) · hi अक्सर (frequently, many times) · da ofte (frequently, many times) · lo ບ່ອຍ (frequently, many times) · ko 자주 (frequently, many times) · fa بارها (frequently, many times) · mr बहुधा (frequently, many times) · ary بالزاف (frequently, many times) · sq shpesh (frequently, many times) · wa sovint (frequently, many times) · ary غالبا ما (frequently, many times) · mi pūputu (frequently, many times) · mr खूप वेळा (frequently, many times) · fa اغلب (frequently, many times) · ko 수시로 (frequently, many times) · ca sovint (frequently, many times) · yue 經常 /经常 (frequently, many times) · yue 好多時 /好多时 (frequently, many times) · ar غَالِبًا (frequently, many times) · sq dendur (frequently, many times) · lld suënz (frequently, many times) · uz ko’pincha (frequently, many times) · hy հաճախ (frequently, many times) · az tez-tez (frequently, many times) · is oft (frequently, many times) · ur اکثر (frequently, many times) · my ခုတင်ခု (frequently, many times) · pt amiúde (frequently, many times) · lld gonot (badiot) (frequently, many times) · lad akoruto (frequently, many times) · jv kerep (frequently, many times) · tt еш (frequently, many times) · nds faken (frequently, many times) · ms kerap (frequently, many times) · ms sering (frequently, many times) · lld suvënz (gherdëina) (frequently, many times) · te తరచుగా (frequently, many times) · ga go minic (frequently, many times) · mr अनेकदा (frequently, many times) · sk často (frequently, many times) · ta பலநேரம் (frequently, many times) · kw lieskweyth (frequently, many times) · cmn 時常 /时常 (frequently, many times) · ka ხშირად (frequently, many times) · kw lies gweyth (frequently, many times) · lb dacks (frequently, many times) · uk ча́сто (frequently, many times) · ko 흔히 (frequently, many times) · gl frecuentemente (frequently, many times) · sv ofta (frequently, many times) · vi thường (frequently, many times) · lo ຈະໄຈ້ (frequently, many times) · kw lower gweyth (frequently, many times) · vi luôn (frequently, many times) · gl a miúdo (frequently, many times) · cy yn aml (frequently, many times) · uz tez-tez (frequently, many times) · cy yn fynych (frequently, many times) · grc πολλάκις (frequently, many times) · mi putuputu (frequently, many times) · ja よく (frequently, many times) · bn প্রায়ই (frequently, many times) · kw menowgh (frequently, many times)