The adverb "already" traces its origins to a compound formation in Middle English, emerging in the 14th century as a fusion of the words "all" and "ready." This compound literally meant "all ready," signifying a state of being completely prepared. Over time, the phrase underwent a semantic shift from denoting a condition of full readiness to expressing the temporal sense of "before the time in question," or "by now" or "by then."
The first component, "all," derives from Old English "eall," which carried the meaning of "all" or "completely." This term is inherited from the Proto-Germanic root *allaz, which similarly denoted totality or completeness. The second element, "ready," comes from Old English "rǣde," meaning "ready" or "prepared." This Old English term itself descends from the Proto-Germanic *raidijaz, which conveyed the sense of being "ready" or "arranged." The Proto-Germanic root is the source of cognates in several Germanic languages, such as German "bereit" and Dutch "bereid," both meaning "ready" or "prepared."
The original compound "all ready" functioned as a phrase indicating that something was fully prepared or arranged. The transition to the adverb "already" involved a semantic broadening, whereby the notion of complete readiness was extended to temporal completion. If something is "all ready," it implies that the necessary preparations have been completed prior to a certain point in time, thus naturally evolving into an adverbial expression meaning "by this time" or "before now."
This semantic development is not unusual in English, where phrases indicating states of readiness or completeness often evolve into temporal adverbs. The formation of "already" as a single lexical item reflects a common Middle English process of compounding and grammaticalization, whereby two independent words coalesce into a new part of speech with a distinct meaning.
It is important to distinguish "already" as an inherited compound from any later borrowings or analogical formations. Both components, "all" and "ready," are inherited from Old English and ultimately from Proto-Germanic roots, making "already" a native English formation rather than a loanword. The earliest attestations of "already" as a single word date from the 14th century, although the phrase "all ready" in its original sense predates this period.
In summary, "already" originates as a Middle English compound of Old English "eall" and "rǣde," literally meaning "all ready" or "completely prepared." Its evolution from a phrase describing readiness to an adverb indicating prior completion exemplifies semantic shift driven by pragmatic usage. The word is firmly rooted in the Germanic linguistic heritage, with cognates in related languages confirming the continuity of the root meaning "ready" across the family.