Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “over-” come from?

over- (English) comes from Middle English over-, from Old English ofer-, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

over- (English): above, or higher; superior; excessively

Definitions

  1. above, or higher; superior; excessively

Ancestry of “over-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishover-—
2Old Englishofer-used to form nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs...
3Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
4Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “over-”

  • overview
  • overlap
  • oversight
  • overweight
  • overload
  • overtime
  • overcoat
  • overgrown
  • overrun
  • overlay
  • overdue
  • overlying
  • overdose
  • oversized
  • overhaul
  • overworked
  • overestimate
  • overuse
  • overpower
  • overexpression
  • overrule
  • overstate
  • overrated
  • overgrowth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →