Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overeat” come from?

Overeat comes from Middle English overeaten, Old English ofereatan, Proto-Germanic *ufaretunaz, and Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed-, meaning to consume food.

overeat (English): To eat too much; To surfeit with eating

Definitions

  1. To eat too much; To surfeit with eating

Ancestry of “overeat”, 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-—

Words derived from “overeat”

  • overeaten
  • overeater
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →