Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overcrowd” come from?

overcrowd (English) comes from English Over-, 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.

overcrowd (English): To fill beyond reasonable limits, with people,...

Definitions

  1. To fill beyond reasonable limits, with people,...

Ancestry of “overcrowd”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOver-—
2EnglishoverDiscontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;...
3Middle Englishoverriverbank, seashore, brink
4Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
5Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
6Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
8Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →