Where does “overtense” come from?
overtense (English) comes from English over, from Middle English over, from Old English ōfer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.
overtense (English): Excessively tense
Definitions
- Excessively tense
Ancestry of “overtense”, step by step
overtense traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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- | — |
via English tense
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tense | Any of the forms of a verb which distinguish when... |
| 2 | Middle English | tens | tense |
| 3 | Old French | tens | Alternative form of tans |
| 4 | Latin | tempus | time, period, age; season; kairos, right time,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tempos | stretch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | temp- | to extend, stretch, span; to stetch, string; to... |