Where does “overtask” come from?
overtask (English) comes from English task, from Medieval Latin tasca, from Latin taxa, from Latin taxāre, from Latin Taxus, from Ancient Greek εἶδος, from Spanish -scopio, from Latin -scopium — to see, to look, to observe.
overtask (English): To task too heavily; to give someone or something...
Definitions
- To task too heavily; to give someone or something...
Ancestry of “overtask”, step by step
overtask traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English task
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | task | A piece of work done as part of one’s duties; Any... |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | tasca | — |
| 3 | Latin | taxa | second-person singular present active imperative... |
| 4 | Latin | taxāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | Taxus | yew |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 7 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 8 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | σκέπτομαι | I look at, examine; I examine, consider, think |
| 12 | Proto-Hellenic | sképťomai | to look at |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |
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- | — |