![]() ![]() ![]() 1400), overlitel "too small" (mid-14c.), oversmall (mid-13c.), overshort, etc. ![]() Īmong the old words not now existing are Old English oferlufu (Middle English oferlufe), literally "over-love," hence "excessive or immoderate love." Over- in Middle English also could carry a sense of "too little, below normal," as in over-lyght "of too little weight" (c. This is rare in Modern English, but compare Gothic ufarmunnon "to forget," ufar-swaran "to swear falsely " Old English ofercræft "fraud." In some of its uses, moreover, over is a movable element, which can be prefixed at will to almost any verb or adjective of suitable sense, as freely as an adjective can be placed before a substantive or an adverb before an adjective. Over and its Germanic relations were widely used as prefixes, and sometimes could be used with negative force. Word-forming element meaning variously "above highest across higher in power or authority too much above normal outer beyond in time, too long," from Old English ofer (from PIE root *uper "over"). Lord of the Flies (1907) translates Beelzebub (q.v.) William Golding's book was published in 1954. Lord knows (who, what, why, etc.), expressing a state of ignorance, is from 1711. (translating Latin anno domini) in reference to the incarnation of God in Christ. Lords "peers of England," especially as represented in parliaments, is from mid-15c. As the "usual polite or respectful form of address to a nobleman under the rank of a duke, and to a bishop" from 1540s. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Related topics: Officials overlord /vld ovrlrd/ noun countable someone with great power over a large number of people, especially in the past Examples from the Corpus overlord Treason therefore was a crime no greater than being disloyal to one who claimed to be an overlord. Meaning "an owner of land, houses, etc.," is from c. The modern monosyllabic form emerged 14c. Old English hlaford is a contraction of earlier hlafweard, literally "one who guards the loaves," from hlaf "bread, loaf" (see loaf (n.)) + weard "keeper, guardian" (from PIE root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for").Ĭompare lady (literally "bread-kneader"), and Old English hlafæta "household servant," literally "loaf-eater." For the contraction, compare Harold. Mid-13c., laverd, loverd, from Old English hlaford "master of a household, ruler, feudal lord, superior husband," also "God," translating Latin dominus, Greek kyrios in the New Testament, Hebrew yahweh in the Old (though Old English dryhten was more frequent). ![]()
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