Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “overstate” come from?

Overstate comes from English over- and state, which derives from Latin status, the past participle of stō meaning "to stand," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-.

overstate (English): To exaggerate; to state or claim too much

Definitions

  1. To exaggerate; to state or claim too much

Ancestry of “overstate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOver-—
2EnglishoverDiscontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;...
3Middle Englishoverriverbank, seashore, brink
4Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
5Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
6Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
8Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “overstate”

  • overstatement
  • overstater
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →