Where does “overstuffed” come from?
Overstuffed derives from English over- plus stuffed, with the over- prefix tracing through Middle English over-, Old English ofer-, Proto-Germanic uber, and Proto-Indo-European upér and upo, all meaning "over" or "above."
overstuffed (English): Filled beyond capacity; Of a piece of upholstered...
Definitions
- Filled beyond capacity; Of a piece of upholstered...
Ancestry of “overstuffed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | stuffed | simple past tense and past participle of stuff;... |
| 2 | English | stuff | Miscellaneous items or objects; personal... |
| 3 | Romanian | stuf | reed; thatch |
| 4 | Old Frisian | stīf | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | stīfaz | stiff, rigid |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steypós | — |