overcome etymology

Etymology

  • Over: from the Old English "ofer," meaning "above" or "upon"
  • Come: from the Old English "cuman," meaning "to go" or "to arrive"

Meaning

  • To succeed in overcoming or surmounting an obstacle or difficulty
  • To achieve something despite challenges
  • To prevail or triumph over an opponent or adversary

Origin

The word "overcome" first appears in written English in the mid-13th century. It emerged as a combination of the Old English words "ofer" and "cuman." The word "overcome" initially meant "to come over" or "to pass over." Over time, it acquired its figurative sense of overcoming obstacles or difficulties.

Examples

  • "She overcame her fear and climbed to the summit of the mountain."
  • "The team overcame adversity and won the championship."
  • "I am determined to overcome this setback and achieve my goals."

Synonyms

  • Surmount
  • Triumph over
  • Prevail over
  • Conquer
  • Get the better of

Antonyms

  • Succumb
  • Fail
  • Lose
  • Be defeated

overcome relate terms

  • come

    Etymology The word come comes from Middle English comen which in turn comes from Ol

  • overwhelm

    Etymology From Middle English overhwhelmen from Old English oferhwelman from Proto Ge

  • overtake

    Etymology Middle English overtaken from Old English ofer tācan to catch up with ov

  • subdue

    Etymology Late Middle English from Anglo Norman French subduer from Latin subdūcō

  • insuperable

    Etymology of Insuperable Insuperable is derived from the Latin word insuperabilis

  • evince

    Etymology Latin ēvincō meaning to prove to show clearly Formed from ē out

  • invincible

    Etymology The word invincible comes from the Latin word invictus which means unconq

  • convict

    Etymology The word convict is derived from the Latin word convictus which means con

  • nose

    Etymology The word nose is derived from the Old English word nosu which is thought t

  • lurch

    Etymology Late 18th century probably related to lurch a nautical term from the 16th c