Where does “over-the-counter” come from?
over-the-counter (English) comes from English over, from Middle English over, from Old English ōfer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.
over-the-counter (English): Legal for sale or distribution without the...
Definitions
- Legal for sale or distribution without the...
Ancestry of “over-the-counter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | over | Discontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;... |
| 2 | Middle English | over | riverbank, seashore, brink |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
Words derived from “over-the-counter”