Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “ofercuman” come from?

ofercuman (Old 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-.

ofercuman (Old English): to overcome or overtake; to win or be victorious

Definitions

  1. to overcome or overtake; to win or be victorious

Ancestry of “ofercuman”, 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 “ofercuman”

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