Etymograph

English

overt

Overt comes from Anglo-Norman overt, from Old French ovrir ‘to open’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ep1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epó2‘away’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaperīre2‘to open’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEoperire2variant of aperīre
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ovrir2‘to open’
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400overt2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500overt2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1696overt2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English overt
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1696, The Tryal, London: Printed for John Everingham […]: “The buſineſs of Overt-Acts is, where the Compaſſing and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂epóreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epóWiktionary, English overt‘away’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaperīreWiktionary, English overt‘to open’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEoperireWiktionary, English overtvariant of aperīre
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ovrirWiktionary, English overt‘to open’
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400overtWiktionary, English overt
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500overtWiktionary, English overt
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1696overtWiktionary, English overt. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1696, The Tryal, London: Printed for John Everingham […]: “The buſineſs of Overt-Acts is, where the Compaſſing and…”

The story

The English word is a doublet of apert and ouvert.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘away’

of, off, afterward, abdomen, 4 more

Today it means

adj Open and not concealed or secret.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “overt”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep / overt

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