Where does “overpursue” come from?
overpursue (English) comes from English pursue, from Middle English pursuen, from Anglo-Norman pursure, from Latin prōsequor, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por- — passed , crossed.
overpursue (English): To pursue too far
Definitions
- To pursue too far
Ancestry of “overpursue”, step by step
overpursue traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pursue
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pursue | To follow urgently, originally with intent to... |
| 2 | Middle English | pursuen | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | pursure | to pursue; to chase; to follow |
| 4 | Latin | prōsequor | to escort, accompany |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English over
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | over | Discontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;... |
| 2 | Middle English | over | riverbank, seashore, brink |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |