Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oversleeper” come from?

oversleeper (English) comes from English oversleep, from English Over-, from English over, from Middle English over, from Old English ōfer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér.

oversleeper (English): One who oversleeps

Definitions

  1. One who oversleeps

Ancestry of “oversleeper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoversleepTo sleep for longer than intended; To sleep for...
2EnglishOver-—
3EnglishoverDiscontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;...
4Middle Englishoverriverbank, seashore, brink
5Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
6Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
7Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
8Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
9Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →