Where does “overshadow” come from?
Overshadow comes from Middle English overshadwen, from Old English ofersceadwian, combining Old English ofer- (over) with Proto-Germanic uber, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upér and upo (under, over).
overshadow (English): To obscure something by casting a shadow; To...
Definitions
- To obscure something by casting a shadow; To...
Ancestry of “overshadow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | overschadwen | To overshadow obscure with a shadow |
| 2 | Old English | ofersceadwian | to overshadow |
| 3 | Old English | sċeadwian | to overshadow, cover with shadow |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |