Where does “overstrew” come from?
overstrew (English) comes from English strew, from Middle English strewen, from Old English strewian, from Old English strēawian, from Proto-West Germanic *strauwjan, from Proto-Germanic strawjaną, from Proto-Indo-European strowéyeti, from Proto-Indo-European strew- — sterile, infertile.
overstrew (English): To strew or scatter over
Definitions
- To strew or scatter over
Ancestry of “overstrew”, step by step
overstrew traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English strew
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | strew | To distribute objects or pieces of something over... |
| 2 | Middle English | strewen | — |
| 3 | Old English | strewian | Alternative form of strēawian; to strew, scatter |
| 4 | Old English | strēawian | to strew |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *strauwjan | to strew, to spread out |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | strawjaną | to strew |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | strowéyeti | to strew, to disperse; to spawn |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | strew- | to spread, to strew |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sterh₃- | to spread, extend, stretch out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |
via English over
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | over | Discontinued; ended or concluded; Thoroughly;... |
| 2 | Middle English | over | riverbank, seashore, brink |
| 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- | — |