past
PAST · noun / adjective
Middle EnglishEnglish
Origin
"Past" comes from Middle English "passed," the past participle of "passen," meaning to pass or go by.
Journey
Once simply the participle form showing that something had already passed, it settled into English as its own word, standing for everything that has gone by.
Related words
It shares its root with the verb "pass," which comes from the same Middle English "passen."