'offshore' originates from the combination of 'off' and 'shore', where 'off' meant 'away from' and 'shore' referred to the land along the edge of a sea or ocean.

'offshore' evolved from the Old English word 'sceor', meaning 'shore', combined with 'off', indicating a direction away from the shore.

Initially, it meant 'away from the shore', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.