Enclosure

Abstract

This chapter recounts how the preposition in dropped out of use during Old English (OE) times, its meaning being added to that of on. It discusses the resultant ambiguity of on that was resolved in Middle English when innan ‘inside’ reduced its form to just in /in/ and enlarged its meaning to ‘in’, as on contracted its meaning to just ‘on’. This effectively restored the original OE contrast between in and on and had adverbial function that could be followed by preposition to, the sequence developing into the complex preposition into /‘intə = /. The chapter includes the OE adverbs ūt and ūte that had similar meanings ‘out, outside’, and merged to give modern out /aut/. From the earliest times it could be followed by preposition of and there thus developed the complex preposition out-of /‘autəv = /.