Where does “over” come from?

over (Middle English) comes 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-.

over (Middle English): riverbank, seashore, brink

Definitions

  1. riverbank, seashore, brink

Ancestry of “over”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
2Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
3Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
4Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “over”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upér →