Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “overcomen” come from?

overcomen (Middle English) comes from Old English ofercuman, 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-.

Ancestry of “overcomen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishofercumanto overcome or overtake; to win or be victorious
2Old Englishōferriverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border
3Proto-West Germanicobarover, above
4Proto-Germanicuberover; over, above
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “overcomen”

  • overcome
  • overcometh
  • overcomest
  • unovercome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →