Where does “overtaken” come from?

Overtaken comes from Middle English overtaken, the past participle of overtake, meaning to catch up with or come upon someone or something.

overtaken (English): past participle of overtake; drunk; intoxicated

Definitions

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	overtake	To pass a more slowly moving object or entity; To...
2	Middle English	overtaken	—
3	Middle English	overnimen	—
4	Old English	oferniman	—
5	Old English	ōfer	riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
6	Proto-West Germanic	obar	over, above
7	Proto-Germanic	uber	over; over, above
8	Proto-Indo-European	upér	above; over
9	Proto-Indo-European	upó	under, below
10	Proto-Indo-European	h₃ewp-	—

overtaken — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer