Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overbreadth” come from?

overbreadth (English) comes from English breadth, from Middle English bredthe, from Middle English brede, from Old English bred, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.

overbreadth (English): The excessive broadness of a statute that, in...

Definitions

  1. The excessive broadness of a statute that, in...

Ancestry of “overbreadth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreadthThe extent or measure of how broad or wide...
2Middle Englishbredthe—
3Middle EnglishbredeAlternative form of breiden; Alternative form of...
4Old Englishbredsurface; plank, board; table, tablet
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →