Where does “overdot” come from?

overdot (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-.

overdot (English): A dot placed above a letter, as a diacritical...

Definitions

  1. A dot placed above a letter, as a diacritical...

Ancestry of “overdot”, step by step

overdot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English over

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoverDiscontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;...
2Middle Englishoverriverbank, seashore, brink
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-—

via English Dot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDot—
2Frenchdotdowry, marriage portion
3Latindōsdowry
4Proto-Italicdōtis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃tisgiving
6Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →