verreweg

Concepts

by far

much

Translations

mit Abstand

bei weitem

de loin

weitaus

de lejos

loin s’en faut

μακράν

bei Weitem

de bon tros

κατά πολύ

de beaucoup

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈvɛ.rəˌʋɛɣ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch: verre wech

In summary

Univerbation of verre weg, an earlier spelling reflecting its original, literal meaning of "far away" (see verre and weg). The current meaning "by far" is attested as early as the late fifteenth century, as Middle Dutch verre wech. The word verre by itself (and indeed the secondary form ver) could also mean "by far" until as late as the nineteenth century.
Today, the word may be interpreted as verre + -weg; as a matter of fact, the -weg suffix is thought to derive from words formed by analogy with verreweg.