Where does “overset” come from?
Overset comes from Middle English oversetten, from Old English ofersettan, combining Old English ofer- (over) with Proto-Germanic satjaną (to set), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upér (over) and sed- (to sit).
overset (English): Having been overset (verb sense)
Definitions
- Having been overset (verb sense)
Ancestry of “overset”, step by step
overset traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German übersetzen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | übersetzen | to translate, to interpret; to compile; to cross,... |
| 2 | German | setzen | to set; to put; to sit down; to settle |
| 3 | Middle High German | setzen | to set, place down |
| 4 | Old High German | sezzen | to make sit, set, put |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *sattjan | to set, place |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | satjaną | to set, to place down |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sodéyeti | to set, to seat, to cause to sit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |
via Middle English oversetten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | oversetten | to set over, upset |
| 2 | Old English | ofersettan | to set over, put in a position of authority; to... |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ōferaz | edge; shore |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eh₁/h₂peros | — |