Nearby Words

overcame

[oh-ver-keym] Origin

o·ver·came

[oh-ver-keym]
verb
simple past tense of overcome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

o·ver·come

[oh-ver-kuhm] verb, -came, -come, -com·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.
2.
to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount: to overcome one's weaknesses.
3.
to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion: I was overcome with grief.
4.
Archaic. to overspread or overrun.
verb (used without object)
5.
to gain the victory; win; conquer: a plan to overcome by any means possible.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English ofercuman. See over-, come

o·ver·com·er, noun
un·o·ver·come, adjective


1. vanquish. See defeat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

overcome
O.E. ofer-cuman "to reach, overtake," also "to conquer, prevail over," from ofer "over" + cuman "to come" (see come). A common Gmc. compound (cf. M.Du. overkomen, O.H.G. ubarqueman, Ger. überkommen). In ref. to mental or chemical force, "to overwhelm, render helpless,"
EXPAND
it is in late O.E. Meaning "to surmount" (a difficulty or obstacle) is from c.1200. The Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" was put together c.1950s from lyrics from Charles Tindley's spiritual "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1901), and melody from pre-Civil War spiritual "No More Auction Block for Me."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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