Where does “overlie” come from?
Overlie comes from English over- plus lie, which derives from Middle English lie, Middle French lien, and Latin ligō meaning to bind or tie.
overlie (English): To lie over or upon; To suffocate by lying upon
Definitions
- To lie over or upon; To suffocate by lying upon
Ancestry of “overlie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | over- | above, or higher; superior; excessively |
| 2 | Middle English | over- | — |
| 3 | Old English | ofer- | used to form nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
Words derived from “overlie”