adv.
‘entirely, altogether’
(Modern English withal)Formed on with plus OE eall, probably on the model of OE mid ealle, which can mean ‘completely, entirely’. TGD compare further the OIcel phrase með ǫllu ‘altogether, quite’ (see CV under ‘with dat.’ item IX, adverbial usages), perhaps suggesting influence on the ME construction (but no other authorities do).
PGmc Ancestor
*wiþra
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
cp. með ǫllu ‘altogether, quite’
(ONP við (2) (præp.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far við, viður-, Icel við, Norw ved, ODan withær, with, Dan ved, veder-, Sw vid, veder-
OE Cognate
wið, cp. mid ealle ‘completely, entirely’
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
CCC3
Widespread in this meaning in MED, from Orrm and the AB texts onwards (despite OED’s claim that it is ‘in the earliest instances predominantly northern’)
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 106, 1926
Gaw MS <wt alle> is sometimes printed with a hyphen (thus GDS), sometimes as two words (thus Madden, Morris, M(G), Vantuono for 106)