Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overgrown” come from?

Overgrown derives from English grow with the prefix over-, from Old English ofer-, ultimately from Proto-Germanic grōaną and Proto-Indo-European gʰreH₁- meaning to grow.

overgrown (English): Having large numbers of plants which have become...

Definitions

  1. Having large numbers of plants which have become...

Ancestry of “overgrown”, 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 “overgrown”

  • overgrownness
  • nonovergrown
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →