Etymology Dictionary

UNTO,  even to, to.  (O. Low G.)   Not found in A.S.   M.E. unto, Chaucer, C. T. 490 (or 488); earlier in Rob. of Brunne, tr. of Langtoft, p. 1, l. 7.   It stands for und-to; where to is the usual E. prep. (A.S. tó), and und is the O. Fries. und (also ont), unto, O. Sax. und, unto (whence unt, shortened for und-te, unto, where te = A.S. tó, as well as untó, untuo, unto, shortened for und-tó, und-tuo).   'Fórun folk untó = folk went unto him; Heliand, 2814.   So also Goth. und, unto, until, as far as, up to; 'und Bethlahaim' = unto Bethlehem, Luke, ii. 15; whence unte (= und te), until.  It is remarkable that the word is common in A.S. in a different form, viz. óð; this form is due to loss of n, so that A.S. óð : Goth. und : : A.S. tóð : Goth. tunthus (tooth).   β. The origin of Goth. und is obscure; perhaps it is only another form of Goth. and-, prefix, cognate with Gk. anti, in which case un- in un-to is allied to the verbal prefix un-; see Un- (2).   And see Until.