Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overdo” come from?

Overdo comes from Old English oferdōn, a compound of ofer (over) and dōn (do).

overdo (English): To do too much; to exceed what is proper or true...

Definitions

  1. To do too much; to exceed what is proper or true...

Ancestry of “overdo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishoverdon—
2Old Englishoferdōn—
3Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
4Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
5Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “overdo”

  • overdone
  • overdoneness
  • overdoer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →