Where does “overworked” come from?
Overworked comes from Middle English over- combined with worked, from Old English ofer-, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér and upo, both meaning "over" or "above."
overworked (English): Subjected to too much work; Having been overused...
Definitions
- Subjected to too much work; Having been overused...
Ancestry of “overworked”, step by step
overworked traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English overwork
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | overwork | To make work too hard; To work too hard; To fill... |
| 2 | Middle English | overwerken | — |
| 3 | Old English | oferwyrċan | to overwork, overlay |
| 4 | Old English | wyrċan | to make; to work |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *wurkijan | to work |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *wurkijaną | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wr̥ǵyéti | to be working, to be at work |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English worked
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | worked | simple past tense and past participle of work;... |