Where does “overstep” come from?
Overstep comes from Middle English oversteppen, from Old English ofersteppan, combining the prefix ofer- with a verb derived from Proto-Germanic stapiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots upo and upér meaning "over" and "under."
overstep (English): To go too far beyond (a limit); especially, to cross boundaries or exceed norms or conventions
Definitions
- To go too far beyond (a limit); especially, to cross boundaries or exceed norms or conventions
Ancestry of “overstep”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | oversteppen | — |
| 2 | Old English | ofersteppan | to overstep, cross; step over, exceed |
| 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- | — |