English

overflow

Overflow comes from Middle English overflowen ‘to overflow’, from Old English flōwan ‘to flow’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *flōaną.

Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flōaną‘to flow’reconstructed
Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*flōan‘to flow’reconstructed
Old Englishc. 450–1150flōwan‘to flow’
Old English, derivedc. 450–1150oferflōwan‘to overflow’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500overflowen‘to overflow’
Englishearliest quotation 1611overflow

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*flōaną‘to flow’reconstructed
Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*flōan‘to flow’reconstructed
Old Englishc. 450–1150flōwan‘to flow’
Old English, derivedc. 450–1150oferflōwan‘to overflow’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500overflowen‘to overflow’
Englishearliest quotation 1611overflow

Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Theſe are they that went ouer Ioꝛden in the…”

Formed from over- + flow

Proto-Indo-European *úp

Proto-Indo-European *upér ‘over’

Proto-Germanic *uber ‘over’

English over-

Proto-Germanic *flōaną ‘to flow’

Proto-West Germanic *flōan ‘to flow’

Old English flōwan ‘to flow’

Middle English flowen

Middle English flowe

English flow

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *plew- ‘to fly, flow, run’

fly, flew, pneumonia, plutonium, plough, fowl, flay, plutocracy, plover, 23 more

through Old English flōwan ‘to flow’

flowing, flown, flue, 2 more

Today it means

noun The spillage resultant from overflowing.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *flōaną / overflow

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