An archaic or poetic form of 'often,' meaning frequently or many times. Primarily used in literary or formal contexts today.
From Old English oft, related to German oft, both from Proto-Germanic *ufta. The word has remained largely unchanged for over a millennium, though it's now considered archaic except in poetry and formal writing.
Shakespeare used 'oft' over 200 times in his works, helping cement it as the quintessential 'poetic' alternative to 'often' - which is why it still appears in wedding vows and formal speeches today, even though most people would never use it in casual conversation.
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