Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overdriven” come from?

overdriven (English) comes from English driven, from English drive, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.

overdriven (English): Driven too hard; exhausted; Characteristic of...

Definitions

  1. Driven too hard; exhausted; Characteristic of...

Ancestry of “overdriven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdrivenpast participle of drive; Obsessed; passionately...
2EnglishdriveMotivation to do or achieve something; ability...
3English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
4Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
5Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
6Latin-āre—
7Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
8Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
11Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →