Where does “overpopulation” come from?
Overpopulation is a compound of English over- and population, tracing through Middle English over-, Latin populus meaning "people," and ultimately Proto-Indo-European upo and upér.
overpopulation (English): A situation which occurs when the number of...
Definitions
- A situation which occurs when the number of...
Ancestry of “overpopulation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Over- | Above, or higher |
| 2 | English | over | Discontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;... |
| 3 | Middle English | over | riverbank, seashore, brink |
| 4 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |