Where does “hyperbole” come from?
Hyperbole comes from Latin hyperbole, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή, a noun formed from the verb βάλλω meaning "to throw" and the preposition upér meaning "over," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-.
hyperbole (English): Deliberate or unintentional overstatement,...
Definitions
- Deliberate or unintentional overstatement,...
Ancestry of “hyperbole”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | iperbole | hyperbola; hyperbole |
| 2 | Latin | hyperbolē | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὑπερβολή | overshooting; superiority; excess, extremity |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὑπερβάλλω | to go beyond, exceed |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὑπερ- | over-, super- |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὑπέρ | for; over-much, above measure |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
Words derived from “hyperbole”