Where does “outnumber” come from?
Outnumber derives from English number, itself from Latin numerus meaning "a sum of units," combined with the English prefix out- to mean "to exceed in number."
outnumber (English): to be more in number than somebody or something
Definitions
- to be more in number than somebody or something
Ancestry of “outnumber”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | number | An abstract entity used to describe quantity; A... |
| 2 | English | numb | Physically unable to feel, not having the power... |
| 3 | English | nim | To take or seize; To filch, steal; To walk with... |
| 4 | Middle English | nimen | to take |
| 5 | Old English | niman | to take, seize |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | neman | to take |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nemaną | to take |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | nem- | to distribute; to give, to take |