English
hyperbole
Hyperbole comes from Latin hyperbolē ‘exaggeration, hyperbole’, and goes back to Ancient Greek ὑπερβάλλω ‘to throw over or beyond (a mark), to overshoot’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὑπερβάλλωhuperbállō‘to throw over or beyond (a mark), to overshoot’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὑπερβολήhuperbolḗ‘excess, exaggeration’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhyperbolē‘exaggeration, hyperbole’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500iperbole
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1602hyperbole
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὑπερβάλλωhuperbállō‘to throw over or beyond (a mark), to overshoot’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὑπερβολήhuperbolḗ‘excess, exaggeration’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhyperbolē‘exaggeration, hyperbole’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500iperbole
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1602hyperbole
Earliest quotation: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida: “[…]and when he ſpeakes, / 'Tis like a Chime…”
A compound of ῠ̔πέρ ‘over, above’ + ὑπερ- + βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
Proto-Indo-European *úp
Proto-Indo-European *upér ‘above’
Proto-Hellenic *hupér
Ancient Greek ῠ̔πέρ ‘over, above’
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw, reach, pierce’
Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
Every English word from Ancient Greek ὑπερβάλλω
Today it means
noun Deliberate overstatement, particularly extreme overstatement.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ὑπερβάλλω / hyperbole